A tale of Outcasts and Misfits (previously, The Traveller)
by BerserkSpectre
Summary: A self-insert of sorts, where a twenty-something-year-old gets reincarnated and finds himself in the world of Pokémon, but his being there isn't by simple coincidence. He was brought for a reason, the nature of which, remains to be seen. The timeline is a little before canon. AU with most regions included, and a few minor changes added in. Harem mostly, but it'll be a small one.
1. Chapter One

**This is my first fanfic, so go easy on me...**

'Normal thought'

' **Thought speech** '

"Normal speech"

" **Poké speech** "

 **Attack**

 _ **Emphasis** /Emphasis_

 **DISCLAIMER: I own nothing of Pokémon, just my OC(s) and some plot twists**

* * *

There can never be Order without Chaos, and Chaos without any semblance of Order would only bring about the Universe's untimely destruction.

And thus, to ensure balance, the Bylaws were established. It is not known how these laws came to be, only that they were absolute, governing over all the realms... past, present and future. And within the vast cosmos, in a realm both separate yet inexplicably connected by the confines of space and time, slumbered an age-old entity.

There was a sudden rift in space just then, creating a wave of disturbance that spread across the entire dimension, partially arousing Arceus from his slumber.

A variation had occurred. One so powerful that, if left unchecked, could potentially alter the entire time-stream.

' **It is too early...** ' Arceus glimpsed at the rapidly crumbling timeline, ' ** _His_ path may have numerous variants, but if he is to succeed in any of them, it is essential that you live to follow in your own…**' Arceus pondered for a moment. The Bylaws prohibited any form of interference, but he was clearly planning on doing just that ' **What if, the life restored… wasn't _truly_ the one that was lost**' it was a gamble, one with its fair share of consequences, but it was a risk that needed to be taken.

Time's influence was already beginning to crumble, which only left…

The Creator's consciousness began searching through the vast confines of space, spreading further and further until finally locking on to the aura of a particular life form ' **How, intriguing... for a soul whose time was well overdue, to replace one that passed prematurely** ' he sighed.

' **Forgive me… for not letting you move on, but it has to be done** ' he apologized, ' **Or perhaps, this was meant to be from the very beginning…** ' and with those parting words, Arceus returned to his slumber.

* * *

Ever had a migraine so bad, you felt your skull's gonna split open? Well, that's pretty much what I was feeling now, though the voice in my head said it was a 'parting gift'

Yeah right, try having a truckload of info dumped into your head, and if that wasn't enough, my mind was also sifting through fourteen years' worth of memories… all in the same _freaking_ instant 'Damn you Arceus!'

Okay, it might not be the brightest idea cursing a deity, but I wasn't in my right mind currently, so cut me some slack.

Anyway, after a few hours (well it felt like hours to me) and a lot more cursing on my part, the pain _finally_ started to recede... leaving behind a blissful numbness. I even started to get back some feeling in my limbs, which also gave me an opportunity to analyse my new self, so to speak.

My body felt heavy, but otherwise seemed okay and most of my injuries having been miraculously healed, though some parts of me still felt a bit numb 'Am in one of those Centers?' I couldn't open my eyes quite yet, but I smelt the telltale odor of a hospital.

It took me a while, but I finally managed to crack open my eyelids, mentally preparing myself in case my surroundings were too brightly lit.

I needn't have bothered... the room (well I figured it was a room) was quite dark, so much so that I could barely see the unfamiliar ceiling above me, though I _did_ feel something warm and lying furry next to me. I inadvertently gulped, before my gaze slowly went to my left, receiving further confirmation that I wasn't in fact, going deranged.

I openly gaped at the Pokémon's sleeping form, one that I had only seen previously in some of the games and certain episodes in the anime 'Damn! Actually seeing it in real life...' I just stared blankly, my mind going back to before I ended up in a drunken stupor.

Let me back up a bit, I was previously a twenty-five-year-old single bloke named Timothy Horton (awesome name, I know) I'd just been laid off my job and those bastards had been kind enough to- you know what? All of that doesn't matter anymore.

I've already left that world behind, so there wasn't any point dwelling on it.

Long story short, Arceus brought me here in place of someone named Derek Greythorn, who'd unfortunately passed on before his time.

There was something about how he couldn't interfere too much 'cause of the _Bylaws_ or that's what I think he said. So he ended up having to search through other alternate universes, particularly those where Pokémon didn't exist and locked on to me since presumably, I had the same Aura signature as the kid.

You're probably like 'Wait... wasn't Arceus supposed to hate all of humanity and all? That's like, the entire point of the first three Sinnoh Movies!'

Well… he _might_ have offered an explanation at some point while zipping me across the cosmos, but like I said, I had a lot of information dumped onto me so you'll have to excuse me if I ignored some of it.

Anyway, the reason all of this happened was because this Greythorn guy was supposed to play a part in the whole 'Saving the world from utter devastation' and I was like, lol which movie we talking about? Or are we going by the games? Or is it something different altogether?

If you've not already figured out, I was quite the Pokémon fan during my time... though BW kinda made me lose interest, the anime more so than the games (I gotta admit it was getting annoying af how Ash kept loosing) but XY got me right back into it (Mega Evolution rules! Though Ash lost there too...)

We're going off topic here, I wanted more details naturally, but all he said was ' **We are only allowed to guide the Chosen One, had the absence of your future path not posed a threat to his own… this conversation might never have occurred** ' he then gave me the good old one-eyed glare.

'Fine, let him have all his damn cliches!' I remember grumbling. Okay, I'm not dissing Ash or anything, but _I'm_ the one that's been plucked out and sent headfirst into all of this, and I don't even get a basic, instruction manual? Granted, I had somewhat of an idea of what would happen from here on out, but come on! Where exactly did I fit in all of this!?

'The unprecedented amounts of luck and the Aura thing! Not to mention the girls, I mean h-'

I think Arceus must've read my mind or something, since the very next second I was hit by the mother of all migraines. I blacked out shortly after that, though I think I head him say that he couldn't afford to interfere anymore, and that this was our last conversation.

I still couldn't completely get over it but what shocked me most of all, was the Pokémon sleeping next to me in particular. Yeah, there was a living, breathing Pokémon right next to me with some bat shit crazy powers no doubt, and that was the just the very _least_ of it.

The Pokémon in question was one of my all-time favorites. I always tried to have one in my team if I could, particularly after watching one of the movies... the rumored harbinger of disasters (though I knew better) an Absol.

But that wasn't all, it was a shiny! And not your normal red skin instead of black kinda shiny, it was what one would call a shiny swap!

Black fur instead of white... with skin and claws the color of bright silver or maybe grey, I couldn't be sure, since the light entering the room was quite limited (there was only one window and the curtains were drawn tight)

I briefly wondered if this was Arceus' way of apologizing for not being able to help me, or maybe he was trying to get in some brownie points to ensure that I wouldn't mess with Ash's journey, well I wasn't complaining either way!

Anyway, before I forget I'll give you the rundown…

Derek Greythorn had been a part of this group of mountaineers/miners, who'd decided to trek up the Johto mountain range in search of potential fossil sites. The members of the group had next to no relation with one another, they were just a bunch of people, that had come together with the common interest: fossils.

Why was a kid like him mining for fossils? Well his aim was to become a researcher on the subject, like his father (I think he's one of the people responsible for creating the reincarnator, or whatever those things were called)

So, much like how an aspiring Trainer could begin his/her journey after getting their Trainer's License, at the age of fourteen (yeah they got them at fourteen and not ten, thank Arceus for that!) Derek had also set off on his quest for fossils.

He'd made straight for the mountain range, where he later met and joined an exploration group, they scaled over a good part of the mountain (I think it was somewhere near Snowtop) when they came across a cavern, which they deemed was a likely place to start their search.

However, hardly did one of them step into the cave, that a **Shadow Ball** whizzed by his head, forcing him back outside. And from within the darkness walked a growling Absol, scaring a good few of them shitless.

This was a time when people were still prejudiced against the Dark-type, though things had gotten a lot better, many still believed in the rumors surrounding it and unfortunately, these louts were clearly the latter kind.

They immediately called out their Pokémon and went on the attack, not even bothering to wonder why the Absol was barring them entry.

Young Derek watched the scene unfold in horror, they might have even killed the poor thing, had the kid not risked his life and put himself in the path of an incoming **Focus Blast**.

The force of the attack sent him crashing into the cave, with the Absol immediately following him, though not before letting loose a **Shadow Ball** that hit the cave ceiling and subsequently sealed off the entrance behind it.

And after that well… here we are.

* * *

Now... coming back to the Absol, I'll admit it, my curiosity almost got me killed.

I tentatively reached out, against my better judgment, and ran my hands over its dark fur, which was silky smooth and soft to the touch.

Almost instantly, its eyes flew open, followed by a rush of movement as the Pokémon leaped off the bed with a growl, body tense for an attack.

'Crap!' I tried to maintain a calm expression, while inwardly cursing my stupidity 'This isn't a dog! I can't treat it like a normal pet!' I shivered at the sudden coldness, trying my best to be as non-threatening as I could "Easy there, I mean you no harm" I tried to keep my voice steady.

Okay, I was losing my shit, fast. There was something… unnerving about those crimson eyes, and there was also the fear of knowing that I could simply die in a heartbeat.

I tried my best for a winning smile "I tired to save you remem-"

' **You are finally awake…** ' I heard a relieved voice, echo through my mind (and I could tell it was within my mind because of my brief interaction with Arceus)

Absol eased up and trotted to my side, my expression must've been priceless, because the Pokémon actually cracked a smile, okay maybe more of a smirk ' **I apologize for that, but you should have known better than to startle me whilst I slumber** ' he (the voice in my head was clearly male) chided.

'And just when I thought, things couldn't get any weirder…' I grinned sheepishly, at least I knew the guy was a friendly.

I understood, thanks to the info dump, that Absol wasn't actually using telepathy but something more along the lines of an empathy link (kinda similar to the one between two characters in a particular book series, back in my old world)

The link was currently only one way, from Absol to me, meaning he'd been the one to initiate it and that got me wondering... for empathy links could only be initiated by Aura wielders.

While it was true that all Pokémon had some degree of control over their Aura, not all of them were able to reach the level of mastery needed to initiate such a link.

Either Absol was among the few that were born with the ability to use Aura (it's happened before) or he'd been trained, or received some form of guidance at the very least.

"So-" I started, only for my gaze to move towards the door, I could sense someone approaching and by sense, I literally mean _sense_ , don't ask me how... I don't know.

The door opened just then and, '... seriously!?' I barely stopped myself from gaping openly. She was quite the looker, easily one among the most beautiful women I'd ever laid eyes on.

The person in question paused for a moment, noting that I was awake "Well it's good to see that you've gained consciousness" she commented, giving me a smile.

She looked to be around eighteen and had light blue eyes, her pink hair was tied in rounded rings, a peculiar fashion statement that oddly suited her well. She was fair skinned, with a healthy undertone, and was dressed in simple clothing: a pink and white dress with a white collar, coupled with white leggings that ended in comfortable, low-heeled pink shoes.

She and her kin were the subjects of adoration of many, but none more so than a Kanto Gym Leader who specialized in Rock-types 'Brocko… you might not be much of a ladies man, but I gotta admit, you got good taste!' I stated as Nurse Joy walked towards me.

Absol gave her a low growl when she passed by but did nothing else, which surprised me.

"I'm just making sure his injuries are healing properly" she assured in a soothing voice, whilst I struggled to keep my expression steady, the fact that I was currently stuck in the body of a hormonal teenager, didn't exactly help things.

"Quite the feat you've managed" she commented with a bright smile, oblivious to the mental torture she was putting me through "I've seen that one a few times around the mountain, not even once did he let me approach him" she nodded to where Absol sat, his eyes wary of her every move "How you managed to befriend him is beyond me, but thank Arceus you did!"

I looked at her quizzingly "Had he not turned up at my doorstep when he did, with you passed out on his back… I doubt either of you would've made it through the night" she explained, her expression turning serious as she began removing the many bandages that adorned my chest and parts of my left arm (I realized to my chagrin that under the covers, I was clothed only in my boxers)

"Wouldn't even let me look at his own injuries" Nurse Joy continued "Not until I was done treating you" she then went on to examine me, but I ignored her, I was trying to complete the empathy link.

It was easy for me since Absol had already laid down the groundwork.

Imagine two poles, with a wire connecting them, all I had to do was wind another wire around the one already there and send it across to the other side.

And let me clarify when I said easy I meant easier, by comparison, it still took me a few tries to get it.

' **Thank you…** ' I tried to put as much gratitude as I could into my voice (thoughts?) as possible, he'd been injured pretty badly as well, to have dragged my sorry ass all the way here from who knows where in spite of all that... I'll be frank, I was touched.

' **My kind takes pride in our loyalty, and you have more than earned mine…** ' came Absol's simple reply, once he'd gotten over the surprise that I'd been able to complete the link.

My fist clenched at that, 'And to think, those bastards were gonna-'

' **But more importantly** ' Absol continued ' **You** **situation is similar to my ow–** ' his eyes narrowed slightly, just as Nurse Joy threw a Pokéball into the air.

One more thing to note, our entire conversation which seemed to have taken a good few minutes, was barely a few seconds in actual time (reminded me of an anime, which involved a fat guy, and something about a crow… I think)

I'd fully been expecting a Chancey, but I was met with an Igglybuff instead, I sighed... actually seeing these Pokémon in real life would take some getting used to.

I grinned at the little thing, thankful that it wasn't a Chansey, how I hated them! Those annoying pink blobs took forever to beat! And once they evolved… nope, not gonna go there.

"Heal Pulse" Nurse Joy's voice brought me out of my thought spiral, and I watched as the little pink ball of fuzz placed both of her (I'm thinking it's a her) arms on one of mine and I suddenly felt a lot… better?

I can't exactly describe the feeling, but I visibly saw myself healing. There was a nasty cut leading from just above my chest, to my lower rib cage 'Probably from the attack'

"A few broken ribs, one of which punctured through your skin" the Nurse told me "We had to deal with that first, and then check for any other internal injuries, thankfully there weren't any"

'I highly doubt that was the case…' I commented inwardly, no doubt Arceus had patched me up some.

Anyway, the skin around the cut rapidly sealed and pretty soon, scar tissue formed. What would've taken weeks, had occurred in a span of a few minutes, nifty.

"That's enough…" I told, when I saw that the scar slowly starting to fade as well, the pink Pokémon looked up at me with those big bright eyes that could melt even the coldest of hearts, "Thank you" I said petting it and received a happy squeak in response, 'Huh, I kinda get why girls go all gushy over these things'.

Nurse Joy just looked at me funny "You _want_ the scar to stay?"

"Yeah, a trophy of sorts" I replied '... and a reminder' I added as an afterthought.

"Iggy won't be able to remove it later" she warned, I merely shrugged.

She sighed "Your choice I guess, return Iggy and thank you" she gave me another check-up, the conclusion of which earned me a relatively clean bill.

"A little more rest and you should be fine…" and she promptly walked out of the room, stating that she would bring me something to eat.

It was only after the door closed behind her, that Absol eased up.

' **What's gotten you so on edge?** ' I asked Absol, noting his stance ' **Don't tell me it was Iggy?** ' I joked.

' **That one is powerful…** ' Absol nodded, ' **You would do well not to underestimate her** ' I could tell that he was in fact, being completely serious.

I mentally jaw dropped ' **Just look at it! What could a little thing like that** _ **possibly**_ **do–!** '

' **I was sent crashing halfway across the room yesterday…** **when I tried stopping the other human, from applying some horrible smelling paste on to your wounds** ' Absol interjected.

' **It's called disinfectant, we aren't as immune as... wait, WHAT DO YOU MEAN "SENT HALFWAY ACROSS THE ROOM!?"** '

Absol tilted his head to one side, unfazed by my outburst ' **I believe 'Pound' was the exact word, the other human uttered** '

' **No… I mean what happened after that!?** ' I cut in, trying to picture how a teeny tiny Igglybuff, could physically send an Absol flying.

' **I was caught unawares and took the hit** ' he repeated, was it me or did he sound miffed?

' **No I mean after that! I hope you didn't go on a rampage or–** ' I'd seen him battle, the guy could hold his own against two Rhyhorn no problem, getting hit like that would not have left him pleased.

' **I was knocked out** '

' **... say what?** '

' **I wasn't up to full strength yet, and since I was unprepared I took the full brunt of the attack… and lost consciousness** ' yup, he was definitely miffed.

Queue in a reiteration on my part, Pokémon were _shit_ strong.

I had this strange urge to laugh but contained myself, though I couldn't resist giving him a dig ' **Now don't you worry big guy, I'll make sure that scary–** '

" **Just wait until my strength is fully restored!** " he growled, since the empathy link was now complete I could perfectly understand him, as he could me " **I'll show that thing just ho–** "

' **Why of course you will!** ' I nodded seriously ' **We'll show that Igglybuff who's boss, and not just her, but the whole world eve–** '

" **DO _NOT_ PATRONIZE ME!**" his face contorted into a snarl, he was properly pissed now.

I grinned, his reaction was just what I'd been hoping for. I recognized the look in his eyes, the guy was a fighter through and through.

' **I wasn't patronizing you or anything…** ' I hopped off the bed, and shakily made my way towards him, damn was the floor cold.

I then slowly crouched until my eyes were level with his ' **I meant it…** ' he growled, but I knew he wouldn't actually attack me ' **Not about Iggy obviously, but about showing the rest of the world you're worth** ' my statement surprised him.

' **I know your kind has been heavily prejudiced against, and I know that they're all wrong** ' I made sure to let my anger show, and the following words simply flowed out of me ' **I** **plan on taking the path of a Champion... will you help me?** '

I knew he could tell if I was lying and I most definitely wasn't, true the last part was more of a spur of the moment thing but I _did_ mean it.

' **The link is already complete, and I have already sworn my loyalty human, so what is the point in you asking?** ' it made sense for him to be puzzled, an empathy link could not be broken, not unless either one of us passed away.

By all respects we were stuck together, whether we liked it or not, but I wasn't satisfied with just that.

I frowned slightly ' **I have no intention of forcing you, I'm not your Master nor do I want to be anything of the sort, I'm asking for your help as a friend... or at least, I'd like for us to be friends** ' I quickly straightened up and grabbed a pair of hiking pants from the neatly folded bunch of clothes, placed on the side table next to the bed.

Rummaging through the pockets I found what I was looking for and crouched back down ' **So what do you say?** ' I asked, enlarging the Pokéball and holding it out towards him. Contrary to the normal kind, this one was entirely white except for a red colored band in the middle... a Premier ball, courtesy of the old Derek.

' **What do you mean when you say I am your 'friend' human? I am unfamiliar with the word** ' Absol inquired.

' **Ah, right... well, you could say we'd be members of the same pack. Training, travelling and fighting together to get stronger, to be the best we can possibly be** ' I grinned, giving him a pat ' **And by the way, my name's... Derek, you can call me Rick if you like** '

Absol stayed quiet for a good minute or so, ' **Members of the same pack...** ' he repeated my words, and then gave me an almost human-like grin ' **You already had** **my loyalty, now you may just earn my respect as well… a queer human indeed. Very well, I will accompany you in this quest for strength, let us take this world by storm!** ' and with that declaration, his nose touched the center button of the Premier ball.

I cringed 'Did he _have_ to go and sound like an evil mastermind just then?' one blinding flash of light later, and the Pokéball in my hand settled with hardly a wobble.

And just like that, I'd caught my first ever Pokémon, though the sweet moment was kinda ruined when a cold breeze blew through the window. I shivered instinctively, which made me lose my balance (I was still half crouched) resulting in me landing on my rump.

Like I mentioned earlier, I was still in my boxers and the floor was _cold_ "Gah!" I jumped to my feet and rushed to pull on the pair of pants while cursing myself for not having done so earlier.

The door to the room burst open just then, squeaking in protest "I head Absol growling and I thought I–" Nurse Joy's eyes widened at my state, her face instantly turning a bright shade of red "I… ah, the food's ready and… sorry!" and slam went the door... it's a wonder the hinges were still intact.

I began clothing myself at top speed, no doubt my face had turned red as well ' **Shut up!** ' I told the laughing Dark-type (the link worked even from within a Pokéball)

But I gotta say though, a part of me was entranced by her embarrassed expression 'She looked so cute!' I'd read somewhere that most of the Nurse Joy's had near zero experience when it came to romance, one of the reasons why they never clobbered Brock, I was glad to see this wasn't entirely true.

' **Do you plan on taking that one as your mate?** '

Now, if this had been an anime I'd have slipped and hit the floor face first at his comment, this was no anime so I settled for a simple outburst in embarrassment ' **T-take her as my MATE!? What are you on about!?** ' I mean, I might be older on the inside, but my body had barely turned fourteen for crying out loud! I don't know how things work here, or if there were laws… no, no! stop thinking about it! I tried to keep my thoughts from running wild, the main keyword here being _tried._

' **Do you not know what it means to take a mate?** ' Absol, who couldn't quite read the mood, asked upon my apparent silence ' **Fine, I shall explain** ' his voice suddenly took on a sage-like tone, ' **A mate is–** '

' **I know what a mate is! And no, I'm** _ **not**_ **looking… I can't believe we're even** _ **having**_ **this conversation! Shut up!** '

' **There is no need for being so shamefaced** ' he was still using that annoying tone, was this payback for before when I ribbed him?

' **I can tell that the two you are compatible, and her spirit is quite strong as well, she never once showed me an ounce of fear during the time of your treatment... I see no cause for hesitation** '

' **No cause for hesitation my ass! I don't even know if she likes me** ' I immediately added ' **Or for that matter, if I like her!** '

' **I know not of the former though, to some degree, her reaction suggests that she finds you at least, appealing** ' he grinned ' **A** **s for the latter, judging by your expression upon her entry, I think it safe to say that you find her attractive** '

' **I was _not-_! I mean, I made sure to keep a neutr–**' and my eyes widened, I'd been played.

' **So you** _ **do**_ **admit to finding her attractive** ' the triumph in his voice was quite evident, ' **At the very least, you are not oblivio** **–** '

' **Doesn't matter! And stop trying to play matchmaker!** ' I yelled as I walked out of the room.

I hoped that Nurse Joy was able to rustle up a good amount of food, for I was absolutely starving!

Which reminded me that I had no idea how long I'd been out of it, or even _where_ I exactly wasfor that matter 'Eh, go figure, I want me some grub first!'

And that, Ladies and Gentledudes, was how my very own Pokémon journey began... with a smart ass of a dark-type in tow.

* * *

 **Since you've managed to make it this far, maybe leave me a review? They're always appreciated, as is constructive criticism, though any and all flames will be ignored.**

 **Until next time...**

 **BerserkSpectre out**


	2. Chapter Two

**Thanks for all the favs, follows and reviews!**

'Normal thought'

' **Thought speech** '

"Normal speech"

" **Poké speech** "

 **Attack**

 _ **Emphasis** /Emphasis_

 **DISCLAIMER: I own nothing of Pokémon, just my OC(s) and some plot twists**

* * *

I found Nurse Joy quite easily (the Center was quite small, more like a lodge than anything else) and she wordlessly directed me towards one of the tables near the entrance, before retreating into a room behind the counter.

I couldn't help but grin, her cheeks were still a light shade of red 'The anime doesn't do her justice…' I inwardly commented as I pulled up a chair.

Now you might be wondering how she'd even managed to treat me, seeing how flustered she'd gotten, one word: professionalism.

Most Doctors worked that way, they would not see their patient for who they were male, female or child it didn't even matter to them if the person was good or bad, all they saw was a life they had to save.

I'd already recovered, so when she'd burst into the room she wasn't 'Nurse Joy' per se but within reason, a normal girl just like any other, so her embarrassment wasn't completely unfounded.

Also, in my not so humble opinion, let me say that Derek had quite a few things going for him (or I did… now, well you know what I mean)

Anyway, I chanced a glance at myself on one of the windows while on my way here... The guy looking back at me was reasonably tall (I'd say about 5'6 or 5'7) copper-skinned, with a wiry build. His slightly long, unkempt jet-black hair was made all the more prominent by the few white streaks streaks running through it, particularly at the ends. His eyes, on the other hand, were a curious shade of sea-blue, though I'd say they'd gotten a shade lighter since my 'arrival' of sorts.

'No wonder sh–'

' **Are you perhaps reconsidering?** ' and queue in Absol, matchmaker extraordinaire ' **I wou–** '

' **It's called being embarrassed!** ' I retorted immediately.

' **You humans, are difficult to comprehend** ' there was a flash of light and Absol appeared before me, he'd already figured out how to release himself, clever.

' **Your thoughts and actions seem almost controversial, needlessly complicating an otherwise simple matter** ' he grumbled **,** ' **And yet, your kind are praised for your wit…** ' he seemed genuinely puzzled, and that had me laughing, which he didn't appreciate so I hastened to explain myself.

' **I won't argue with you there, we** _ **do**_ **tend to over complicate things at times** ' I gave him a pat, ' **But I can't say I agree with your other statement...** ' I remembered the near catastrophic set of events that were to occur in the future. Most, if not all, were caused as a result of a human's greed, or thirst for power 'And that's leaving out all the other time–'

' **Are you referring to your former companion's reaction to my appearance?** '

I frowned ' **Among others… and they weren't my companions** ' I was expecting anger or at least some form of aggression from him at their mention, but he just let out a sign.

' **I have long since come to terms with it… such is the curse of my kind** ' his voice was even and that got me irked, these people would've likely _killed_ him! Yet he sounded so detached like he'd already resigned himself to such a fate.

' **How** _ **ca**_ –' I started but a series of images began playing in my mind, memories that neither belonged to me nor Derek, they were Absol's.

The memories started right from his birth, to when he met Derek and finally ended at the point where I'd asked him to join me. They were a little fuzzy in between but all in all, I saw everything he'd been through from his perspective and it left me well, let's just say it took me a while to gather my thoughts… and clean some dust from my eyes.

' **How and… why?** ' I asked I didn't need to elaborate he knew what I meant.

' **Because you are one as well…** ' he simply stated, ' **I saw that in you, even before you put yourself in harm's way for my sake** '

I grinned mirthlessly at that…

Timothy Horton wasn't much of a people's person, life had been hard and held no color, everything was just a shade of grey to him. His only escape was a world of books and fiction, which in turn isolated him all the more from the people around him.

Derek Greythorn didn't have many friends, his dreams and goals were completely different from those around him, so he had no one his age to relate to, thus devoting himself to his books and later towards training his body (a necessity since fossil hunting required him to be reasonably strong)

Absol by nature were solitary beings, they lived in areas that were fairly isolated, or at least far away from human-inhabited regions. Their kind was already dwindling in numbers and Absol's unique coloration only drew _more_ attention so he shunned, even by others of his own kind.

See a pattern here?

' **Your situation is similar to my own…** ' I echoed the words he'd said to me earlier ' **Now I get it, we're the same so it only makes sense that we stick together** '

Absol nodded ' **Indeed… for who better a friend to an Outcast, then an Outcast?** '

I grinned, genuinely this time and the heavy mood around us lightened instantly ' **The pack will only grow bigger from here on out… don't worry** ' I promised.

' **I agree, with the addition of your Mate it is but inevitab–** '

' **I meant we'd find others to join our team!** ' I mentally facepalmed, he just _had_ to go and say something like that, didn't he?

I could feel my face heating up ' **You're doing this on purpose, aren't you!?** ' I glared at the accused.

' **I do not know what you mean by that statement** ' his shit eating grin said otherwise.

But any potential retort I had, or thought of, came up short... for I caught a waft of the most wonderful smell just then, my stomach growling in anticipation.

I immediately turned towards the doorway behind the counter and out walked the beautiful Nurse, complete with a trolley bearing a tray upon which sat a bowl of steaming soup, a basket of bread, and another bowl filled with what looked like Pokémon food.

All traces of embarrassment had vanished the second I laid eyes on the food, and the very next moment after she'd placed the tray in front of me, I attacked.

In hindsight, that might not have been a very good move on my part, the image of me stuffing myself wouldn't have exactly brought out my best side.

And that my friend tells you one of two things, either I had horrible table manners or, that I was out for quite some time if I was feeling _this_ hungry.

I naturally went with the latter, my table manners were fine, if I do say so myself ' **How long was I unconscious?** ' I asked Absol, who was gobbling up his food in a similar fashion.

' **A little over two days** ' he replied, ' **The approaching storm I sensed and tried to warn you and… the humans with you, about hit yesterday** ' he added.

' **... I see** ' and I simply went back to concentrating on the food, though this time around I remembered to pace myself.

Nurse Joy wheeled the trolley back into the kitchen a little later, only to re-emerge with the pot filled once more with more of the delicious soup, along with another loaf of bread "I made quite a bit, so feel free to have seconds…" she told me with a smile.

"You don't have to tell me twice!" and I helped myself, though not before giving her cooking the hearty praise it deserved, which earned me a smirk.

Shortly after I'd stuffed myself, I helped her clear the table and close up (it was of course the least I could do). The sun had already set long ago, and the clock by the counter showed that it was nearing nine.

"So..." Nurse Joy turned all professional again, giving me a glare that basically said: spill.

"Right..." I sighed, 'Of course she'd figure it out' neither of our injuries was what one would call natural. Sure, we could've been attacked by some wild Pokemon but the chances of that happening were minimal, plus they wouldn't get _that_ aggressive without cause, which would in turn bring _me_ under suspicion all the more.

"Well?" Nurse Joy's prompted, her gaze was steadily getting sterner and in case you're wondering, my very trusty Absol had returned back into his Pokéball stating that he needed some shut-eye... the coward.

I naturally crumbled… call me a wuss I don't care, but something told me I would _not_ want to see her angry, a seventh sense if you will (the Aura thing made six) and I heeded the warning.

I told her everything, of course editing out the part about Arceus' involvement, and well... about me being from another world.

"Give me a moment..." she said once I'd finished, her expression unreadable.

She walked to the phone hanging on the wall by the counter (it looked like a normal telephone but with a small screen above the keypad and an additional attachment, which I assumed was used to transfer Pokéballs)

I sighed, recounting the story had taken a big chunk out of my mental reserves, which was why I thought I'd better put it off until she asked. Now, believe me, I had no intentions of hiding what I'd seen but it also reminded me of the fact that a fourteen-year-old had lost his life in the process.

He might've been a bit of a brat, but his actions had earned him my respect 'I'm sorry kid, but mark my words I _will_ make sure your sacrifice is remembered... I hope you've found peace, Derek Greythorn' and I silently prayed for his soul (I'm not much of a believer so that tells you something)

This was why I'd initially avoided talking about it, or thinking about it even, as much as I could... to put it simply, I was feeling guilty that I'd taken his place.

'Maybe if my Aura hadn't matched his, the–' but the rational part of my brain deduced that if it were at all possible, Arceus would have brought him back instead.

In any case, I was _here_ now and I would keep my vow, but it would have to be on my own terms. This was my life as well, for all intents and purposes, and I wasn't about to let this second chance go to waste. I knew it was more than selfish on my part, but I just couldn't settle for simply emulating someone else, fossils just weren't my thing.

"Thank you" and she replaced the receiver, her voice breaking my train of thought.

"Officer Jenny?" I asked, getting to my feet with a stretch.

She nodded, "You might be asked to give a statement; names and the like, but don't worry your–"

"I'll do it, I can provide descriptions or even help identify them as well" I cut in, assuring her that I wasn't afraid in the slightest, these people would pay for what they did.

"... that would be helpful" I couldn't read her expression, one of the things they failed to mention in the anime, Nurse Joy had an _excellent_ poker face.

I shrugged, giving a yawn that would've put a Snorlax to shame "I think I'll hit the hay…" I started, my limbs were still a little heavy and a phantom pain ran through my chest making me wince slightly, it kinda felt like the cut was starting to reopen.

In other words, I needed some serious snooze time, so I began walking back to my room (she'd told me to stay until I'd recovered fully)

"Good nigh–" I started, just as I walked by her.

"You could have died, you _do_ realize that right?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

I paused "Yeah I do…" I answered in an equally quiet voice.

It's not like I didn't understand what she was doing, the world wasn't all sunshine and daisies, and it was part of her job to educate and guide people, such as myself, about it.

"I am not judging you" she clarified, "Just telling you that your life was _literally_ on the line back there" she stressed, her dark blue eyes boring into my own.

'If only you knew...' I fought to keep my gaze steady. On a side note, I noticed that she was a few inches shorter than me, did that make her any _less_ intimidating?

No… no, it did not.

The silence continued, until I finally sighed "Actually… it wouldn't be a stretch to say that a part of me _is_ gone for good" her expression wavered, but I ignored it realizing that I'd finally found a way to make my peace with the kid, well in a way I could express it outwardly at least.

"The Derek whose interest was researching fossils, he's gone, sacrificed his life to save a wild Absol…" I explained, at which her eyes widened for a fraction of a second.

" _My_ goal, on the other hand, is to become Champion" I while silently palming the Premier ball "We'll show the world just how wrong and misguided it is" a smile tugged at the corner of my mouth, "We'll show them, that his sacrifice wasn't in vain..." it was perfectly true, I was no longer the same person... and this way, I wouldn't have to keep lying about it.

It sounded dumb I know, but it helped me come to terms with myself and my situation, making it infinitely easier to take on his name and mantle.

"Sorry... I'm rambling aren't I?" I suddenly turned sheepish, noting the blank stare Nurse Joy was giving me.

She composed herself immediately "No, given what you've been through, I'd say it's understandable" she then seemed to brace herself "Though, I have to ask... did it never occur to you to use a Pokéball?" gesturing to the Premier ball in my hand.

It dawned to me just then how difficult a role she had to play, her poker face was back on, no doubt she expected me to fume, she needn't have bothered.

"No it didn't, but it wouldn't have been possible in all that chaos… I'd not have been able to get a clean shot" I explained, as I pocketed said device, "But thank you, not many people would be willing to openly offer their advice in such situations" her eyes widened as I continued "And thank you for the awesome food and most importantly... thank you, for saving our lives" and I gave her the brightest smile I could manage "If the-"

"What you did was _incredibly_ stupid, though some would call it brave as well" she cut in, for some reason she wouldn't meet my eyes.

'Is it me or is she blu–'

"But basically… you're just another reckless idiot" she deadpanned.

'Nevermind…' I mentally face faulted "Gee, thanks" I grinned "Glad we established that, well as I was saying, if there's anything I can do to repa-"

"Maybe be a bit less reckless from here on out? Or at the very least, try to avoid taking an attack like that head on" came her snarky retort, immediately causing me to hang my head in shame.

My expression must've been priceless, for she let out a chuckle "It's alright, first focus on getting better" she patted my arm slightly as she continued "After all..." and her voice suddenly took on, for lack of a better word, darker tone "I wouldn't want to run you ragged around the mountain in search of herbs, berries and the sort, not without first ensuring that you were up to full health"

I gulped, unable to formulate any form of retort to that.

"Well then, good night..." with that she turned around abruptly, and walked down the corridor to one the rooms (presumably her own) which was a few doors away from my own. She gave me a parting smile before entering in, and shut the door close behind her.

'What jus–' I suddenly saw an image of a blue cat in my mind, giving me a cheeky grin and going 'You liiiike h–'

"Shut up!"

' **But I did not say anything** ' Absol complained.

' **Not you, me!** ' I clarified, having an overactive imagination was quite the burden sometimes...

' **... you humans truly are, an odd bunch** ' he repeated, but his tone seemed to be pleased for some reason ' **So I take it the two of you can formally begin cour–** '

' **And on that note, I'm done…** ' I declared, my head was starting to feel heavy all of a sudden, there had been a _lot_ to take in a very short amount of time, so like my old chemistry teacher used to say 'We have achieved saturation!'

In other words: I. Was. SPENT.

"Good night…" I mumbled as I walked back to my room, and ignoring all else, flopped into bed.

* * *

It's been over two weeks since I'd woken up in this world and I can safely say that all doubts of this being an elaborate dream had passed, not that I actively pondered upon it, but a small recess of my mind _did_ wonder if this was one of those 'story visions' (don't know the exact term, but I'd heard some writers got them from time to time…)

Leaving that aside, quite a few things have happened since then, so I'll give you a quick recap.

Firstly, I'd given Absol the nickname 'Knight' having learned through his memories that 'Midnight' was the name Absol had been given when he was young, and seeing that the guy hated it with a passion (he said it sounded too feminine, but I knew that wasn't the actual reason) I shortened it to just Knight, and after I'd told him what it meant, he agreed wholeheartedly.

I was also learning to control my Aura, with Knight helping me, though I mostly followed the instructions manual Arceus had 'gifted' me (Knight was born with the ability, so he relied mostly on instinct)

You'd think with all that, I'd have it easy right?

Wrong… it was the same difference between watching someone cook a meal and _actually_ doing the cooking yourself.

It looked simple enough but in reality, there were a lot of other factors involved as well.

Aside from that, the two of us had also begun training (when we weren't scouring for a particular berry or helping the Center in some other form) and I gotta say Knight was quite the powerhouse. We formally began training three days after my 'awakening' and in my opinion had made quite a bit of progress.

I'd also learned that I was surprisingly in Kanto well, more like the border between Kanto and Johto, this Center was actually on the _other_ side of the mountain Derek had scaled (Knight had literally dragged me through, to the other side of the mountain! Bless the guy)

When I jokingly asked Lisa (a.k.a. Nurse Joy) if I was supposed to go to Professor Oak or Professor Elm to get my Trainer's License now, she'd said that it was entirely my choice.

'Sweet! Pallet Town here I come!' was my very next thought and no, it wasn't because the Kanto Starters were by far my favorite (I wasn't even sure if I'd be entitled to one since I already had Knight) no, it was more a matter of convenience because geographically, Pallet was a _lot_ closer than Newbark. There was also the fact that I wanted to see the place myself, I mean, if given the chance wouldn't you want to as well?

Leaving that aside the town was also the site where Professor Oak had his research lab and I for one _wanted_ to meet him.

Why? Because it was through the combined efforts of him and the Hoenn dude (Birch, I think?) that people started viweing Absol, and dark-types in general, in a better light (no pun intended)

But there were already a few other _earlier_ factors involved when it came to the latter, for instance, one of the Hoenn Elite Four was a dark-type Trainer and a lady named Malva (who was the most recent addition to the Kalos Elite Four) _her_ ace was a Houndoom.

I'm going way off topic, sorry about that, going back to Oak...

With all of this in mind, I thought I'd best make a call and clear things out with him, just in case (Lisa let me use the Center's main line)

The call connected quickly but contrary to what you might expect, it was one of his assistants that picked up, and he began asking me some routine questions: who I was, what the purpose of my call was, and the like.

It was only after I'd answered all questions and scanned my ID (there was a card slot on the phone for this exact purpose) that he put me through to the Professor.

Now I won't hesitate to tell you that I was more than a little nervous, I was actually gonna be talking to THE Professor Oak!

Safe to say, the nervousness wore off real soon…

In fact, I'd barely introduced myself and started explaining my situation, that he got all starry-eyed "You caught an Absol!? That's wonderful!" he then proceeded to ask me a bunch of questions regarding Knight.

I happily obliged, what can I say? His enthusiasm was contagious, and we ended up talking for the greater part of an hour. So much so that my mouth hurt with all the talking I'd done, but nevertheless I had a big smile on my face at the end of it.

"I'm guessing things went well?" Lisa asked, from the counter, an eyebrow raised in query.

"Yeah! He even said that, since I technically caught Knight before applying for my TL (Trainer's Licence) I was still eligible for a Starter!" I then told her at length, about the rest of our discussion.

"That's great Rick!" she gave me a smile, "So… when does he want you to visit him?"

"He said he'd be ready in about three weeks, so going by how far Pallet is from here, I'd most probably be out of your hair a week before that!" I grinned at my lame joke, though inwardly I was grimacing.

I figured it best not to let on that I noticed how her smile didn't quite meet her eyes, and also how her voice seemed a little… off, especially since she was doing her best to hide it.

"I suppose congratulations are in order… tell you what, I'll cook us a feast in celebration! It'll take a while so I'd better start now, look after the counter would you?" and she left without waiting for my reply, walking into the kitchen, which was where the door behind the counter led to.

I watched her wordlessly, it was barely even six and dinner for us was usually at eight.

I signed… things between Lisa and me, let's just say that it's been weird.

We'd gotten closer for sure, to the point where we were much more than just 'friends' but we hadn't moved beyond that.

Don't get me wrong I wanted to, having to hold myself back like this was _killing_ me but I endured it, because every time I tried to tell her or even hinted at bringing up the subject, she'd give me this smile.

I'd gotten to the stage where I could roughly sense a person's emotions from their Aura (but I couldn't accurately discern one from the other, yet) and Lisa... her emotions were a total mess.

There was happiness and hope, but the more predominant ones were fear, sorrow, and pain... all of which she hid under that smile.

And _that_ made me chicken out every time.

Women tend to overthink things a lot, now I won't say I'm an expert but I've had my share of relationships (okay, none of them lasted but that's not the point!)

Basically, when they started brooding over something, you either let them sort things out on their own… or, give a _liiiittle_ push to help them out of it.

I'd wisely opted for the former option, deciding to wait until she was ready.

* * *

Dinner was quiet, though I did make it a point to voice my appreciation for the spread she'd made, "Oh, by the way, my Aunt says she should be back in a few weeks" Lisa mentioned, just as we finished clearing the last of the dishes.

"That's great! So I guess things will get a bit easier for you eh?" I grinned, trying for a joke "What with your Aunt back, and me not being there to mess things up" at this, her expression immediately fell 'Crap! Why did I have to go and say that! Me and my stupid mouth!' I inwardly kicked myself.

"Hey, I'll be sure to visit and... heck I was actua-" I hastened to add, but the next thing I knew, she had closed the gap between us and put her arms around me in a tight embrace.

"Idiot…" I heard her whisper softly, her gaze filled with an emotion I couldn't quite understand.

'Lilac…' that was the closest comparison I could make to the fragrance, _her_ fragrance.

My arms automatically wrapped around her waist and I gingerly returned the embrace, marveling at her slender frame, which was otherwise hidden by her uniform.

She smiled as she moved away, her face flushed a beautiful scarlet "You're a good person, Derek" she finished, "Consider this my way of thanking you for... everything" and then she caressed my face, leaned in and kissed me.

Wait, hold on don't jump about yet... she'd made sure to tilt my head so that her lips _jusssst_ missed mine.

Barely a few moments later, she moved away, "And of course, you're welcome to visit the Center anytime you wish..." and with that she turned, and promptly fled to her room.

Safe to say, I was completely mesmerized, but also at the same time confused, and more than a little unsatisfied as well 'It's almost like she was saying goodbye...'

I got increasingly anxious as the days went by, Lisa of course went about her daily routine and acted like there was nothing amiss.

But therein was the problem, she almost _always_ was in her 'Nurse Joy' persona, or so I'd taken to calling it. Even more so as the day I planned to set off for Pallet dawned closer, it got to the point that I barely ever talked to 'Lisa' at all.

'Ah, to hell with it!' I'd tried waiting, but I could afford to wait no longer. I would be leaving tomorrow, and I did _not_ want to leave things as they were, it just felt wrong (and depending on her response, there was something else I'd wanted to ask her as well)

So I convinced myself that I'd talk things through with her come nightfall.

I might have forgotten to mention something earlier, option two usually ended up making things worse, but like I said before... I just _couldn't_ leave things as they were.

I know, I'm a daredevil.

* * *

"Lilianna Rosalynd McArthur Joy, shouldn't _you_ of all people know better?" I couldn't stop myself from saying, as I gave her a mock frown.

"Says the person who entered a Lady's room, unannounced and after dark…" her eyes narrowed in a frown "What do you have to say for yourself young man?" she asked, her voice stern.

"The door was unlocked" I retorted, as I walked up to her.

She was leaning against the balcony railing, facing me, still in her normal uniform sans the cap (her room was the only one that had a balcony, it faced the forest behind the Center)

"Be that as it may, I don't recall you knocki–hey!"

But I'd already grounded the smoke, which I'd neatly plucked from her hand along with the portable ashtray, "You'll have to answer to my Aunt for that" she told me when I tossed them both into a nearby bin.

"Better I face her wrath, then watch you make a habit out of it…" I narrowed my eyes in turn, gesturing to the pack sitting on the railing next to her.

She glared back at me, "And just _who_ are yo–"

"You tell me..." I stated, gently cupping her face with my hand.

She initially leaned in but caught herself and quickly turned around, pushing my hand away in the process "You… need an early start, Pallet Town isn't exactly around the corner you know, so best rest up an–"

"So you really want to be rid of me _that_ bad huh?" my voice held not the slightest trace of anger or blame, even though the comment stung.

I knew she didn't mean it so I made sure to keep my voice steady "I was actually going to ask if I could come back here to train, but never mind that… if this is what you truly wish for" I began walking to the door "Then I'll be gone by daybreak, and don't worry I won't bother you anymore..." for some reason my voice choked up but I continued regardless, as I made to walk out of door "Thank you and good–"

I heard something sail through the air and ducked, I needn't have worried, I wasn't the target.

The projectile went well above my head, hitting the door with enough force that it closed shut, before coming to a stop by my feet. I glanced in wonder at the previously intact pack, which had crumpled upon impact.

Another fact that I learned just then, Lisa was a great shot, and I hoped to goodness that I wasn't her next target.

On the bright side, her Aura had finally settled, and I could only sense one emotion from her (mission accomplished!)

However, on the not-so-bright side, that particular emotion was anger and I had this inkling suspicion, that it was directed towards _me_ for some reason (sorry for not listening to you, seventh sense!)

"You. Stupid. _I_ _diot_! This is all your fault!" she hissed, eyes overshadowed by her hair, as she all but stormed towards me "I was trying so hard to be professional! And you jus-!"

I gulped, not finding it within myself to utter a sound as she barely stopped from outright crashing into me, a part of me seriously wanted to run away then and there. The only problem, I knew she'd catch me.

And then, there was also this other part of me that _hoped_ for something like this to happen, what with having fallen for her and all (I thought I'd make that clear, just in case… you know?)

In any case, my plan had succeeded, I'd basically forced a reaction out of her and now well…

Arceus save my soul (again)

* * *

 **So what did you think? Reviews a** **re always appreciated, as is constructive criticism, though any and all flames will be ignored.**

 **Until next time...**

 **BerserkSpectre out**


	3. Chapter Three

**Thanks for all the favs, follows and reviews!**

'Normal thought'

' **Thought speech** '

"Normal speech"

" **Poké speech** "

 **Attack**

 _ **Emphasis** /Emphasis_

 **DISCLAIMER: I own nothing of Pokémon, just my OC(s) and some plot twists**

* * *

I was seriously beginning to wonder if my Luck stat was messed with, especially after I caught sight of the two Pokémon, battling it out (well one was attacking with full force while the other merely blocked)

So I did the most logical thing a person would do in such a situation, I braced myself just in case and inwardly yelled 'STATUS' as loudly as I could.

Annnnd… nothing happened which was a shame but eh, no biggie, I just wanted to make sure is all.

'But still, talk about one hell of a... I don't even know what to say, coincidence just doesn't cover it' my attention automatically refocused upon one of the two Pokémon in question.

' **Hey Knight–** '

' **I know, and I agree as well** ' his reply cut me short, his voice on edge, which was understandable given that he'd never been around so many people before.

However, there were no denying the anticipation held within it as well.

Why you ask?

Well aside from the fact that our first _ever_ legitimate battle was about to begin, we'd also potentially found the third addition to our team!

' **Very well then…** ' I grinned (or 'Gi hi' to quote a grouchy eater of iron) as an otherwise completely silver Pokéball, was flung in the air "To the Battlefront!" I called.

Maann. I can't tell you how long I've waited to do that!

Wait, damn… I really _should_ keep my thoughts from wandering, you don't know what the hell I'm going on about right?

* * *

I'd just reached Pallet a few minutes back, and from what I saw of the town (if you could call it that) it was very picturesque, surrounded by forests and hills, basically an 'ideal holiday retreat' as one would call it in my old world.

Anyway, postponing further exploration for a later time, I headed straight for a familiar red-roofed building which sat atop a small hill "This is so... unreal" I muttered, as I stood in front of the Lab, or more specifically in front of the gates that led to it.

Taking a deep breath to calm myself, I walked up to it 'Well… here goe–'

"Derek Greythorn?" a voice called, giving me a jump 'Great! Which inter dimensional deity is it _this_ ti–' it was then that I noticed a speaker, fixed to the wall on my left.

Huh, that wasn't there in the anime... okay, my bad.

"Uh… yes, I've come to get my TL and starter" I answered rather sheepishly, trying to keep my voice even 'I guess they had cameras monitoring the premises as well' I reasoned, which though unexpected, made a _lot_ of sense.

"The Professor has been expecting you" was the reply I received, "He is currently dealing with an… unexpected circumstance, please make yourself comfortable in the sitting room, it's the first door to the right" and the gates opened on their own accord "I will notify him duly and you will then be taken to him, also, kindly refrain from wandering off on your own..." he finished, a beep indicating that the mic had been turned off.

'Well, he's a ray of sunshine...' I mused, fairly certain that it was the same Assistant I'd talked to before.

I walked up the stairs leading to house, or mansion if you will, and just as I was about to reach for one of the double doors they flew back on their own accord.

I was met with the slightly out-of-breath form of presumably, the said Assistant I'd just talked to and walking behind him with a grin on his face, was one Samuel Oak.

'Holy hell! It's him! I'm actually seeing him in person!' one part of my mind went all haywire, while the more rational part noted how unlike the still gasping Assistant, the Professor hardly looked winded.

"I'm glad you arrived earlier than expected Derek" he smiled as he held out hand in a firm shake (on a side note his smile though cheerful seemed a little… strained)

"I hope I'm not inconveniencing you?" I made it a point to keep my tone as respectful as I could, his very nature made it easy to forget that the harmless and cheerful looking old man in front of me was, in fact, the most hated rival of one of the current Kanto Elite Four (who, to my knowledge, has never managed to defeat him in battle)

Also as a further testament to his strength, aside from the stupid Rocket trio (still don't understand how that happened exactly) very few had dared to encroach upon his Research Lab thus far, despite their clearly superior numbers and resources.

The thought had always served me as a reminder, that under his jovial attitude, horrible poetry skills and reputation as a world-renowned Researcher there was someone else as well, the first ever Champion of the Pokemon league and one of the most powerful, if not _the_ most powerful Trainer... in the world.

"Not at all M'boy, not at all like I said I'm glad you did" he waved his hand in cheerful dismissal before his expression turned a tad serious "Because I wanted to have a word with you before you chose your starter..."

'Does he know? How does he know!?' I gulped, it wasn't intentional, but I know you won't believe me if I say so.

I took in a calming breath, which did little good 'It's okay... the very same conditions apply here as well, so it's not like I'm breaking the rules or an–' I tried to assure myself, as he continued.

"And... forgive me for being forward, but if possible, might I ask you for a favor?" he asked, his tone signifying that his words were sincere.

'Eh?...' keeping all I've said about him in mind, you understand why his words, or rather request, gave me such a start. I followed him blankly as he quickly led me through the lab as he gave me a run down of the 'unexpected circumstance' as the Assistant had called it earlier.

My confusion soon turned to surprise, which eventually turned to sheer incredulity (which was why I'd been on about my luck stat) and well I guess... here we are?

* * *

"... so you see, I hop–" the Professor continued, but my improvised war cry and the flash of light accompanying Knight's appearance stopped him short.

"I believe I've found my starter, Professor…" I grinned as his expression turned from one that was serious, to surprise and from that to joy, and then to sheer wonder... the latter no doubt due to Knight's different coloring (I'd 'accidentally' left that out when I'd talked to him)

"Derek! You didn't tell me your Absol was a variant!? This is wonderful! Do you know ho–"

Knight growled in warning when the overexcited Professor moved closer, in order to examine him " **Take another step closer human, and I'll bite off yo–!** "

"Um… Professor? He's a little shy so maybe now's not the best moment" I explained sparing him from a fate of dismemberment while trying not to laugh at his disheartened expression.

"Well given their nature, I guess it can't be helped… but you have to–" he would have continued on with mumbling, had I not reminded him of the situation at hand.

"Ah… yes, well a moment please" embarrassed, he turned and quickly walked towards a nearby table (it was the same one from the anime, upon which the three starter's Pokéballs were kept)

' **Calm down… he means no harm** ' I told my still agitated partner, ' **He's one of the few humans I can safely assure you th–** '

' **He was looking at me with a similar expression of yours when Lisa makes those 'pancakes'... as you so called them'**

' **Um…** ' I grinned sheepishly at that, ' **He's just a little, over enthusiastic?** ' I said, only for him to give me a disbelieving glare.

' **Alright! We'll get back to this later…** ' I relented when the Professor handed me a normal Pokéball, and a black rectangular object the vaguely resembled a cell phone (the color was upon my request) it had a circular slot on the bottom, where a shrunken Pokéball could snugly fit in.

"Your Pokédex serves as both your TL and the means of identifying, and cataloging the Pokémon you come across and, should you choose to do so capture" he explained and then handed me five additional Pokéballs.

"These are your remaining Pokéballs, you get a total of six but as… what are you doing!?" his eyes widened when I enlarged the first Pokéball and clicked on the center button thrice, rapidly.

"I may have chosen my starter but if we are to work as a team, I'll have to prove myself as a competent Trainer first and to do that, well I figure it best if we go about it the old-fashioned way… through a battle!" I explained why I had inadvertently released the said Pokémon.

' **This one** _ **is**_ **powerful, but at the same time quite prideful which, in the future might be… troublesome** ' Knight commented offhandedly, as the Pokémon in question stopped mid-attack and turned towards us, finally noting or rather acknowledging our presence.

As for me, I was left wondering if, in some alternate universe, a particular black haired guy had just sneezed because of Knight's unknowing reference to his signature dialogue.

Well, food for thought at another time I guess… now, where was I?

Oh yeah, so we were at the back of the Research Lab facing the wide expanse of land where many a Trainer's Pokémon was let out periodically, to be exercised, groomed or studied.

"I heard you like to battle" I started, as my starter (hopefully) blew out a few small puffs of fire in response "I plan on gaining the title of Champion, a road that would put me in a lot of battles, each more challenging than the last..."

The fire Pokemon's attention was now solely focused on me, so much so that the Machamp that had been it's previous opponent simply backed away, at a nod from the Professor.

" **Tell me youngling, do you wish to join u–** " Knight asked, and the Pokemon sent forth a **Flamethrower** in response, which my Dark type immediately dodged.

"That I think, qualifies as a yes" I grinned, and I got a **Flamethrower** sent my way as well, which Knight helpfully countered "... okay, maybe not a 'yes' per se"

' **It would seem, that we have some convincing to do…** ' Knight intoned grinning, for lack of a better word, wolfishly as he crouched and shot forth a **Flamethrower** of his own...

The end of the battle saw me clutching an unmoving Premier ball in my hand, with a no doubt goofy grin plastered on my face. After calming myself some, I shrunk and slotted it into the groove on my Pokédex.

The screen lit up almost immediately, and the picture of the Pokémon held within it, along with it's-no... _his_ other details, were collectively displayed. Both of which were most definitely not an Absol's "Welcome to the pack… Vulcan" I couldn't help but let out a cheer, as I handed the said Premier ball along with a normal Pokéball to the Professor's Assistant.

' **Did you enjoy yourself?** ' I asked the dark-type next to me.

' **Yes, so does this conclude our purpose for visiting here?** ' Knight growled ' **If so, I would prefer to put as much distance as I can from... that** ' his gaze was firmly fixed upon a clearly disheartened Professor Oak, who'd tried to tempt Knight with a bowl of Oran berries, only to be scoffed (man his expression! Talk about priceless!)

Even the stickler-for-rules Assistant cracked a smile at that, I still didn't get the guys name yet but meh, he was a little too uptight in my opinion. And no, I don't say this just because he'd right royally berated my 'negligence', and 'carelessness' for failing to mention that I'd caught _another_ Pokémon before my arrival here.

I mean, Professor Oak didn't seem to mind so why did he!

Yup, like I said not salty at all…

Anyway, putting all that to a side, with Vulcan now being my third Pokémon, I was one step closer to the League! Of course, I still hadn't registered and we had a truckload of training to get through before we were even _remotely_ ready… not to mention the need for a full team, but this was still progress!

I already had some ideas for how I was about to go about it all, so before anything else let me make something clear, I wasn't about to go off and catch _every_ Pokémon in sight.

I know that completing the Pokédex was part of the entire point of the games, but I for one stopped doing so after the first few, and settled for just capturing my 'dream team' so to speak that ranged from a specific type set to sometimes, a particular Pokémon in question (one of them, as you'd have no doubt figured out, being an Absol)

I also had a firm number cap on my capture rate, now don't get me wrong I wasn't gonna be like someone like Paul, who judged a Pokémon's strength solely based on their move-set and nor would I disagree if say, a Pokémon were to befriend me and want to join me of its own volition.

But I _did_ want to train and interact with each member of my team, or pack if you will, individually so I figured it'd be best if I followed the same set of principles I generally adhered to in the games.

Oh, and I'd also made a stop at one of those Pokéstops along the way, stocking up on a few heals along with a good number of their Premier balls (unlike what they showed, or rather implied in the anime, you _did_ actually have to pay for stuff here)

The heals obviously for emergency first aid and as for the Premier balls, well I guess it'd be best if I take an excerpt from its very definition, the part about them merely looking 'cooler' than the normal ones and also because I'd caught Knight with one (I _might_ have a _slight_ case of OCD)

Anyway, after that, I still had enough dough for a wardrobe change.

The currency here was in the form of 'units' and was uniform throughout all regions and in addition, was completely digital (which was a-okay in my books) and Derek had accumulated quite a bit from his helping his father, and sometimes standing in for him, in several excavations and expeditions.

So, I'd ditched the hiking shirt in favor of a v-neck light grey T-shirt with black borders, along with a Pokéball symbol on the front, but offset slightly to the right (also black)

The shirt was a snug fit, I'd also donned a black jacket on top while keeping the brown jeans and black hiking shoes, I finished my look with a pair of black aviator goggles (more out of necessity, than for its looks) which were currently slung around my neck.

I returned Knight (after apologizing to the down-in-the-dumps Professor Oak for his behavior) after which we chatted about the various uses and functions of my Pokédex, along with my duties as an 'Amateur Field Assistant' as he so called it.

I agreed to send him regular reports on Knight's progress, along with any other useful or relevant information I came across or found that could be helpful to his research, but I'd also made it clear that my primary focus lay elsewhere.

"They both seem fine… though I'd advise against your starter battling for the rest of the day" the still disgruntled Assistant said after he re-entered the room, tray in hand.

"Thanks! I'll make sure he gets a good rest" I assured cheerfully, completely ignoring his tone as I slotted a different Premier ball (containing the second addition to our pack) on to the Dex.

The screen immediately lit up and displayed a Pokémon that wasn't favored by that many… in fact, I'm pretty sure I'd come across several songs that basically trolled it's primary stage, and quite extensively at that!

* * *

Knight and I had come across the guy during one of our training sessions, a little over a week ago, practically exhausted and suffering from more than a few wounds. He wouldn't let either of us approach so I'd done the only thing I could, I captured and brought him back to the Center.

I later learned (through Knight) that he'd been released by his Trainer, but the rest of his wild counterparts refused to let him join them, shunning him and sometimes even attacking him outright which eventually lead to our encounter.

He recovered quickly enough, but had otherwise kept to himself most of the time. It was all we could do to convince the clearly distrustful Pokémon that we were genuine in wanting to help him, I'd also assured him that I had no intention of releasing him here "The choice is yours… whether you want to come with us or wait until we find a place that is suitable for you to stay" is what I'd said to him.

Naturally, he ignored us for a time, giving us a wide berth except for when he was hungry, although he _did_ occasionally follow and watch Knight and me while we trained.

Only when I was setting out for the lab in fact, it the very morning I was about to leave, that he finally approached me of his own volition... complete with the silver Pokéball I'd used to capture him, in his grasp.

I still remember how stoked I was, when Knight explained to me that Kro wanted to join us.

* * *

For those of you wondering... yes, I had to take an exam (which I'm pretty sure I aced) of sorts before the Professor could 'formally' gave me my TL, Dex and starter. A League official had arrived shortly after my battle with Vulcan, and all went in accordance with general procedure, which is a bit boring to talk about so I won't go into it.

"Quite an… interesting team you have there" Professor Oak commented, as he walked me to the door, a good few hours later "You're already set to start battling the Gyms, though I suggest you train for at least a while before doing so" he advised.

"If you don't want to experience a crushing defeat that is" the ever-present Assistant helpfully added, which earned him a glare on my part 'Yup, I officially don't like you now!'

I offered the Professor a polite grin "Believe me when I say that, when they see us in action the word 'interesting' would simply be an understatement" I said as I walked out to see the sky, now bathed in the light of the setting Sun.

Now that… _would_ have been an awesome exit, if only there wasn't a sudden explosion that kicked up a dust storm, right outside the Lab's gates.

'Why is it, that almost all of my potentially 'cool' moments, somehow end up getting ruined?!' I inwardly grumbled, as I raced towards the column of dust "Wh–" I stopped short when I caught sight of two people, who had clearly been in the midst of a battle, the dust cloud having marked its conclusion.

"Well… they certainly have gotten better" I heard the Professor muse, his tone sheepish as he sighed in exasperation. But my attention was more focused on the snippets of conversation between the two would-be battlers, that reached my ears.

Both of them looked to be around my age, one of them holding a mouse-like creature whose fur was a shade of bright yellow.

I have no shame in admitting that I almost squealed at the sight of the iconic mascot of the Japanese football team, and the defacto favorite of many a Pokémon fan.

As you may have already figured out, I recognized the two instantly (I'd already figured that I would come across one, if not both, of them at some point) though contrary to my expectations, a prominent defining feature in one of them was absent.

"The _least_ you can do, is tell Eevee that he battled well!" The guy holding the Pikachu said, in outrage. He had raven colored hair that looked thoroughly windswept, the majority of which would no doubt be hidden under a dark red cap later on. He was dressed in a simple black t-shirt, a pair of blue jeans and red running shoes, his crimson eyes glaring at his opponent.

"We don't need words…" the other one replied, in a poorly veiled tone of calm as he held up a Pokéball "I can tell... this guy is as furious as I am, that our match ended in a _tie_ "

His sharp green eyes focused upon the former as he grinned impishly, unruly auburn hair sticking up in spikes. He was similarly donned in a pair of jeans, though his were black he also wore a long-sleeved purple sweatshirt as opposed to a t-shirt, along with brown walking shoes, and slung around his neck was a pendant of some sort.

"Hey! This is _not_ a site for battling!" the panting Assistant, complained but the two simply ignored him (I mean can you blame them?) both of them reacted in stark contrast, upon catching sight of the Professor.

"Tch… of all the battles you could have seen" the auburn-haired one grumbled, but then his gaze settled on me "Who are you?" he asked, eyes narrowing as he seemingly sized me up.

"Professor Oak! I finally tied with G–" the other one started, regarding me only when the Pikachu, that had crawled up his shoulder let out a warning growl.

"Ah yes, allow me to introduce you Derek…" he patted my shoulder "These are two of my best students, one of them is the son of my former assistant, while the other is my very own grandson!" Professor Oak gestured to the former and latter in turn "Ash Ketchum… and Gary Oak" he suddenly grinned at the two, his expression almost as impish as Gary's "Though most people in town call them–"

"Red! Green! I thought I'd told you to wait for me at–" the girl, no older than the aforementioned two stopped in her tracks upon regarding the crowd of people, her dark brown hair reached right up to her shoulders, framing her face nicely while her black dress and flats really drew one's attention to her light blue eyes "Oh! Good evening Professor! I'm sorry if I'm late" her eyes then zeroed in on me "Hello! Who's this?"

"Hey Blue!" Ash called enthusiastically.

"Did you get sidetracked again Leafa?" Gary asked, the girl simply stuck her tongue out at him in reply.

"You're in good time, rest assured" the Professor assured good-naturedly "The program doesn't begin for a good half hour" turning to me he said "This is Leafa Simmons, she's a student of mine much like the other two and," he gestured towards me "as for this young man, he's..."

"My name's Derek" I cut in, wanting to get the introductions done with as quickly as I could so that I could leave "I arrived a little earlier and got my TL and starter…" I finished, which now that I think about it, was not one of my clever moments.

"Which among the three did you choose!?" Two voices echoed, as both Ash and Leafa walked (more like teleported) right up to me.

"Uhh…" I suddenly felt an ominous shiver run down my spine, which I unsuccessfully tried to shrug off 'No worries, I'm already on my way out, it's not like they–'

"You can ask him all the questions, you want…" the Assistant suddenly stated, he'd been silent until now "While both of your Pokémon are seen to…" And I swear he gave me utterly smug smile as he continued "And get this! He's already caught _two_ other Pokémon, even before he got here!"

All I had time to think was 'Uh oh…' before I found myself practically dragged back into the Lab by the overly excitable Leafa and Ash, their eyes almost sparkling, while Gary wordlessly followed us.

I take it all back, my luck's as shitty as ever... and oh, just in case you're wondering what my TL looks like.

* * *

 **TRAINER PROFILE:-**

* * *

 **Name:** Derek Greythorn

 **Age:** 14

 **Class:** Amateur Field Researcher

 **Pokémon:** 03

 **Leagues Registered:** –

 **Badge(s):** –

 **Reserve:** –

* * *

It basically looked like any other ID card, but had an added feature wherein it's contents could be updated, as and when I caught a new Pokémon or earned a badge... now where was I?

Ah yes, mentally condemning the Assistant with bloody murder, while giving him my best death glare.

* * *

 **And that's a wrap!**

 **I've cleaned up this chapter a little, nothing major but I think it flows better now. Anyway, I know I've not updated in a while, but rest assured I'm not dropping the story. I've already drafted the next chapter, so expect it come up sometime soon!**

 **A** **s always, reviews and** **constructive criticism are appreciated, though any and all flames will be ignored.**

 **Well, until next time...**

 **BerserkSpectre out**


	4. Chapter Four

**Thanks for all the favs, follows and reviews!**

'Normal thought'

' **Thought speech** '

"Normal speech"

" **Poké speech** "

 **Attack**

 _ **Emphasis** /Emphasis_

 **DISCLAIMER: I own nothing of Pokémon, just my OC(s) and some plot twists**

* * *

"How do I manage to get myself into these situations!?" I grumbled as I stood across from Gary, sighing heavily... Kro's Pokéball primed and ready in hand.

They'd forced me to stay the night and had only agreed to let me leave under the condition that I battled both Ash and Gary (Leafa didn't have any Pokémon of her own yet) I'd already battled and won against the former, though I gotta say Pikachu's speed gave us quite a hard time.

' **... Luck?** ' came Kro's voice. Oh, a fact to be noted, establishing the empathy link wasn't an instantaneous process, it usually took at least a few days. The more familiar and attuned they were, the easier it would be.

Kro and I got it down just this morning, he wasn't one for many words but as you can see, he's quite the smart mouth when he wanted to be ' **Shut up!** ' I grumbled.

' **Well… this one does have a poi–** ' but I ignored the rest of Knight's comment, "To the Battlefront, Kro!" I called, while Gary (or Green) called forth his Eevee.

" **Supersonic** –"

"Eevee use **Dig**!" Gary called instantly, and the little Normal-type immediately burrowed into the ground, rendering Kro's attack moot.

'Huh, color me impressed…' his reaction speed was impressive. I grinned, this was what made battles were all the more interesting, each Trainer had their own style and no two individuals battled the same way. Sure, they might have been influenced by someone else, but none of that mattered when you were on the field... it boiled down to just you, your opponent and your respective teams.

To his credit, my match with Gary lasted longer than Ash, but there was also the fact that Kro and I hadn't gotten in any training sessions of our own. Well regardless, I soon found myself outside the gates with Ash grumbling about how I'd been holding out on them.

"You didn't tell us you had a Pidgeot! No wonder you're so strong, you must have trained quite a bit for your Pokémon to reach its final evolution!" he accused, Gary, on the other hand, remained silent, I was pretty sure he'd figured it out as had most of the others judging by their silence. However, I decided to clear things up in any case, since the Professor and the Assistant-that-had-better-watch-his-back were with them as well, particularly due to the latter giving me a disapproving look (or maybe that's his normal expression?)

"Azura belongs to a… friend of mine" I said with a sigh, as I ran a hand through the Pidgeot's soft feathers. Leafa and Ash's expressions clearly stated that they had more than a few questions but thankfully, they seemed to be holding themselves back for some reason.

Poor Ash looked red with the effort but I had no intention of helping him out, Gary for his part just flashed me a smirk "Smell ya later, Rick..." he said in an almost civil tone, I gave him a simple nod in return "After I wipe the flood with Red, I'm coming after you next, so you'd better watch out" he finished, before turning around and walking back into the lab.

"Looking forward to it..." I replied, amid Red's protests at his declaration.

"Hey Green! what do you mean after you've-" and he all but rushed after the other teen, prompting Leafa to follow them with a sign, though she did pause to wish me well.

"Goodbye, and good luck on your journey!" she offered me a smile, before quickly making her way back into the lab as well.

"Thanks" I called after her "And I hope you have fun on yours as well!"

A few more minutes of explanations and assurances later, that I would not forget my duties as a Field Researcher and that I would indeed keep in touch and visit them when I could (the last one not anytime soon) Azura and I left Pallet town behind us, with a heavy sigh of relief on my part.

'I'm glad that's over…' I grinned, relishing at the crisp morning breeze that blew through my hair, taking in a deep calming breath.

I can honestly say with utmost confidence that unless I absolutely _had_ to, I was never getting on a plane again.

One: they equally boring as they were expensive, and two: flying via means of a Pokémon was _much_ more fun... the freedom, not to mention the rush of adrenaline, was absolutely intoxicating.

My first impression after experiencing the rush that was Azura taking off, was 'This is awesome!' and then I held on for dear life, because damn were we high!

Then came my second thought... 'I hope she doesn't break the sound barrier!' and yes, given how fast Pidgeot were capable of flying it was a _very_ possible scenario. But I needn't have worried, Azura made sure to keep at a sedated pace. In Lisa words, she was indeed a 'docile little sweetheart' with little being a figure of speech here, since size wise, I'd say she was a bit bigger than the norm.

So there were no mac speed shenanigans on her part during our flight, which to be honest, left me kinda bummed... even though I knew my chances of survival would have dwindled into the negatives if something like that ever happened.

Still, a part of me wondered what going faster than sound would feel like, while another wanted to experience it in actuality.

Huh, I think I need to work on my sense of self-preservation… anyway, this was one of the reasons why I'd invested on the goggles, they weren't cheap mind you, but would ultimately serve me well in the future (plus it didn't hurt that they made me look like a badass!) or so I hoped.

I sighed as I chanced a glance at my Poké Gear, it was sorta like a mix between a watch and video phone (mine was obviously black) to which I could also link up to the Dex and thereby access its map function. This was another new piece of technology I'd procured during my stop at Saffron, and boy was I thankful for the concession Silph Co. offered beginner Trainers, which reminded me I had to send them a copy of my TL as proof.

I quickly did so, and was finally was able to finish registering my profile, which meant I was now allowed to make and receive calls. Unfortunately, I didn't know the Center's extension, so I couldn't call Lisa just yet. Speaking of whom, unconsciously let my thoughts wander back to the day, or more specifically... the night before I was _supposed_ to leave for Pallet.

* * *

I waited for her to react, cry or yell at me for stepping over my boundaries or something of the sort.

I'd already resolved myself, I wouldn't apologize, because I didn't regret it. Sure, I was terrified out of my life, but did I regret anything I'd said or done? Nope, no I did not.

What I hadn't counted on, was her adamantly refusing to meet my eyes, and remaining silent for so long that it became stifling.

So much so, that I finally couldn't take it anymore "Hey, Lis-" I started, only for my eyes to widen when she all but pounced, and wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug.

She tackled me with enough force that it sent me stumbling against the door, my arms reflexively wrapped around her waist and I instinctively held her close, as she buried her head against my shoulder.

We stayed like that for quite a while until "Promise me..." she finally muttered, her voice soft "Promise me, that you'll come back" she asked as her beautiful, but tear filled, eyes finally met my own.

"Of course I will idiot, didn't I say I wanted to train some more?" I replied immediately, noting how her voice held no anger but instead had turned… pleading almost, which had me worried all the mor–

* * *

' **What bothers you?** ' Knight's sudden interjection, forced me out of my thought spiral ' **Given the circumstances, should you not be more, cheerful?** '

' **That obvious huh?** ' I sighed, stroking Azura's crest feathers, and earning a happy squawk in response.

' **Lisa…** ' I said by way of explanation.

We'd known each other for a month at most, probably even lesser. I hadn't exactly realized it until after I'd left, but I already considered her as someone precious to me and the very thought, frankly… it frightened me.

Yeah, you might be like "Huh? Weren't you practically going gaga by the time you first laid eyes on her!?"

Well, when you put it that way, yeah… and that's _precisely_ why I was so rattled.

Flirting was one thing, but this wasn't like me. I wasn't what one might call trusting or open by nature. It usually took me quite a while to open up enough to even start _talking_ , forget considering them a friend.

But I'd already reached the point where she was _much_ more than that and like I said, that wasn't like me at _all._

Logically speaking, I didn't need to go back 'I could just as well train while on the move' I reasoned with myself several times along the way.

Lisa had even said that Azura could just as well fly back on her own "In case you change your mind…" she'd assured, while trying to keep an even voice.

'Yeah, like that was happening…' I just had to remember the hopefulness her eyes were trying to hide at the time, and all my reasoning and miss-givings could be damned. So here I was, barely preventing myself from urging Azura to go even faster.

Fun fact, we were already flying at twice the usual speed and yes, it's as awesome as it sounds and no, I wouldn't recommend trying it unless there was an emergency (too much strain on your stomach, if you know what I mean)

'Almost Sundown, we'd better turn in now clear the home stretch early tomorrow…' I patted the avian Pokémon on her back, signaling her to descend.

' **You would make no headway… not with your current frame of mind** ' Knight told me, a little after we'd set up camp, I'd already let both him and Kro out and was currently holding Vulcan's Pokéball, planning on doing the same, when Knight intervened.

' **What do you mean?** ' I asked, my eyes narrowing in puzzlement.

' **Your thoughts are clearly too turbulent to initiate an empathy bond, and not only your efforts be for naught you might earn the younglings ire instead…** ' he explained, while Kro simply devoured the food set out for him, Azura having already eaten and now taking a well-deserved rest.

I gave him a glare but sighed knowing that he was right ' **... alright** ' I gave in, Fire-types, in general, were difficult and Vulcan having evolved prematurely at such a young age, would only be that much more.

I wanted to gain Vulcan's trust and respect early, not wanting to go through what Ash did to get his Charizard to finally listen to him, or the embarrassment he faced. It wouldn't be fair to either of us, Vulcan had a lot of potential and he clearly wanted to get stronger. So as his Trainer, and hopefully his friend, I wanted to do my best to help him achieve it.

I let out a sigh, clearly I wasn't at the best frame of mind at the moment and had no doubt my Aura was just as equally messed up as well, so I reluctantly deactivated and replaced Vulcan's Pokéball back into the storage slot attached to my belt.

' **Now will you tell me what has been bothering you to such a degree, that it has your Aura turning so unstable?** ' Knight asked once more, ' **You mentioned your ma–** '

I simply showed him all that I was currently feeling, the spiral I'd been basically forcing myself from falling into, while staring into the burning embers of the campfire.

' **I forget that humans, for all their wisdom and knowledge are equally…** ' he paused for a moment, as if searching for something ' **clueless, at times** ' he gave me a speculative look ' **I take it, you know nothing of the more... _intricate_ nature of your Aura?**'

' **...huh?** '

' **This, will take a while** ' Knight signed tiredly, not knowing how much of 'a while' it would end up being.

Neither of us had any inkling , that our simple pit stop would inadvertently last a bit longer than expected, but I'll leave that for a later time since that would open up a whole _new_ can of worms regarding which of the Pokéverses I was actually in.

* * *

We were almost there, I could see the outline of Center bathed in the light of the morning sun "Guess I'll be facing the music, soon..." I signed and as we drew closer, she was waiting for us.

How she knew we were to arrive today and at this time I didn't ponder upon. I jumped off Azura's back the very next moment we touched down, my eyes met her own in turn and… nothing else seemed to matter in the world.

The hesitation, and general turmoil I'd been facing simply evaporated 'What the hell was I worried about?!' I wondered as I bounded up and, wrapping my arms around her frame, drew her until she was flush against me.

My lips descended upon hers the very next moment…

I basked in her presence, taking my time and relishing her taste while gently running a hand along her back, the other still locked around her narrow waist.

She didn't respond immediately, but soon relaxed into my embrace, her arms snaking around my neck as she slowly returned what marked to be, our first _proper_ kiss. I could tell that she was inexperienced, which made me want to make this moment all the more special.

The kiss wasn't all hot and happening, but neither was it a simple chaste peck like the one we shared before I'd left for Pallet a good week ago 'I need her… and she needs me' a lot of which Knight had told me, I wasn't ready to accept or acknowledge, but this much I understood.

It was only when my head started feeling a little light, for lack of oxygen that I finally pulled back, grinning at the reluctance I could clearly see in her eyes. Gingerly, I leaned my forehead against hers "Miss me…?" I asked, in between breaths. Her face was a beautiful shade of red, clearly she was more than a little embarrassed... heck, it was all I could do to keep myself in check, but I needn't have bothered.

Her eyes narrowed slightly just as the arm around my neck tightened, while the hand that had been running through my hair previously grabbed hold of a sizable tuft, causing me to to let out a yelp. With the two working in tandem, she basically forced her lips back onto my own, muffling any and all further protests on my part as I happily lost myself once more.

Unfortunately, like with the best of moments, someone just _had_ to yank us away from our world of bliss.

"Anymore of that…" we froze at the sound of the teasing voice, which just like glass shattering, broke us out of our reverie "and I just might have to ask Chansey to keep watch at night, in case one of you tries to sneak into the other's ro~"

"Eep!?" Lisa squeaked, and yes I mean literally squeaked, as she tried to pull away from me... her face turning an even brighter shade of red, a sight so endearing, that I almost felt like forgiving whomever it was that interrupted us.

I deftly interlocked my hand in hers, thereby preventing her from moving too far, before turning towards our 'interrupter' if you will. She looked a few years older, mid-twenties I'd say, but otherwise basically looked almost _exactly_ like Lisa 'Damn, the anime actually got something right!' I noted.

Lisa all the while, instead of protesting, had intertwined our fingers and now held me in a vice-like grip. As if to prevent me from running away or something "Aunt May… um, this is…" her voice clearly let out how nervous she actually was "He's the one I've been telling you about, this is Derek he's…" and impossibly, her face reddened still "um... he–"

"I'm her boyfriend…" I cut in, looping my arm around her shoulder while extending the other towards the older nurse in question "You must be Lisa's Aunt Marilyn, she speaks very highly of you…"

Aunt May grinned at that, grabbing my hand in a firm shake "I think it by 'speaks highly' you mean grumble and generally complain about right?" she asked.

"I'm afraid I can neither confirm nor deny that… not without my girlfriend's consent" I replied with a grin.

"Oh? I wonder, would this be before or after she finishes punishing you for being late, and worrying her so?" she instantly retorted.

'… damn!' I glared at the elder Nurse' grinning form, which in turn turned into a grimace of pain, for Lisa was savagely pinching my poor ear "Ouch! Hey, I can expla–"

Suffice to say, it took a while for me to calm her down (unfortunately for my earlobe) but the scrumptious breakfast spread, she'd laid out for me, more than made up for it.

I quickly gave them a brief rundown of my trip which ultimately had them both, blinking in surprise by the end of it "I must say, you've had quite an… eventful trip" Marylin commented, she then extended her hand towards me "You've not yet registered for the League I take it?" she asked, to which I nodded.

"Yeah, I was hoping I'd get it done here and…" giving Lisa a somewhat embarrassed glance I pulled out my new Pokédex, before I continued "wanted to ask if I could, um… well" all my confidence suddenly seemed to have suddenly evaporated, but I blabbered on nonetheless "I mean, I wondered if it'd be okay if I… Professor Oak give me the choice, I could either send my Pokémon to his reserve or–"

"Oh, stop your mumbling and give it here!" and Lisa simply grabbed the Dex from my hands, handing it over to Marylin in one fluid motion "The Silver Conference" she stated, to which the latter nodded and walked over to the counter, and began typing something on the system there.

"Done…" Marylin happily commented after hardly a few minutes, "Congratulations… you're now all set to start challenging any and all of the Johto Region Gyms for their badges" she stated, giving me a smile.

I mutely took back my Dex from her, glancing at the screen as I did so, or more specifically, at my TL...

* * *

 **TRAINER PROFILE:-**

* * *

 **Name:** Derek Greythorn

 **Age:** 14

 **Class:** Amateur Field Researcher

 **Pokémon:** 03

 **Leagues Registered:** Silver Conference

 **Badge(s):** 0/8

 **Reserve:** CN7BL04

* * *

I then went to the Trainer log, which contained a detailed record of all of my current Pokémon, be they the ones at hand or at the reserve (or in my case here, at the Centre) in the order in which they were caught, traded, hatched or what not...

* * *

 **POKÉDEX LOG:-**

* * *

 **Absol (Knight)**

 **Gender:** Male

 **Attacks:** Flamethrower, Shadowball, Slash, Bite, Quick Attack, Double Team, Razor Wind

 **Egg move:** Megahorn (NL)

* * *

 **Golbat (Kro)**

 **Gender:** Male

 **Attacks:** Supersonic, Poison Fang, Air Cutter, Defog, Double Team

 **Egg move:** Bravebird (NL)

* * *

 **Charmeleon (Vulcan)**

 **Gender:** Male

 **Attacks:** Flamethrower, Scratch, Smokescreen, Brick Break, Body Slam

 **Egg move:** Flareblitz (NL)

* * *

And just like that, I'd started walking on the long winding road to becoming a Champion...

* * *

 **And that's a wrap!**

 **I apologize for not having updated in quite a while, but I'm back now! So hopefully this chapter will assure you guys that the story isn't dropped. I'll try to maintain a constant update schedule, but one can never tell, for the real world can come bite you at any point of time.**

 **A** **s always, reviews and** **constructive criticism are appreciated, though any and all flames will be ig** **nored.**

 **Until next time...**

 **BerserkSpectre out**


	5. Chapter Five

**Thanks for all the favs, follows and reviews!**

'Normal thought'

' **Thought speech** '

"Normal speech"

" **Poké speech** "

 **Attack**

 _ **Emphasis** /Emphasis_

 **DISCLAIMER: I own nothing of Pokémon, just my OC(s) and some plot twists**

* * *

"Tomorrow's the day…" I mused, shifting slightly so that my back rested more comfortably against the trunk of one of the bigger trees around the clearing, that had become our most frequented Training spot.

A good solid month had passed by (counting the day I'd arrived back at the Center) and I couldn't help but grin as I glanced at the team.

Knight and Vulcan were going head-to-head, the speed and strength they currently displayed served as a testament to how far they (and the pack as a whole) had come. Just then the two jumped away from one another, effectively dodging Kro as he flew by at blinding speeds with an **Aerial Ace** (courtesy of a few weeks of tutelage, under one Azura)

' **That's enough guys!** ' I called, not wanting them to wear themselves out, they'd been going at it for quite some time.

' **We'll be heading out tomorrow, first light** ' I reminded them as I got back to my feet, ' **So there won't be enough time for Lisa to heal us up completely, if say...** ' I stared pointedly at our resident pyromaniac ' _ **someone**_ **were to go overboard, and let loose a little too much** '

Vulcan simply crossed his arms and refused to look in my general direction, Knight and I shared a snicker at his antics and as for Kro, well… he was already half asleep, hanging from one of the many branches of a nearby tree (he still preferred night over day, and would often grab a quick nap as many times as he could, before sundown)

' **Don't worry, you'll have your fair share of battles soon enough,** ' I assured the sulking lizard, patting his snout lightly ' **Though be prepared, you might end up getting tired of it** '

He snorted, the corners of his mouth spouting flecks of fire, his tail-flame burning with a sudden intensity that it flickered to a shade of white.

His way of saying 'Yeah, as if…'

Vulcan didn't talk so much as he showed us how he felt, he was more of the silent type than even Kro, who was quite the recluse in his own right.

I had luckily managed to earn his respect trough our battle earlier at the lab, and the successful establishment of the empathy bond had only increased our camaraderie, one that would remain (and hopefully strengthen) over time, through the course of his eventual evolution.

Oh FYI, I still hadn't been able to witness a Pokémon evolve, but _man_ was I stoked for it! Pretty sure I'd go full on fanboy mode, and I mean... can you blame me?

' **I understand that we are to, at some point, visit the place of your dwelling, to present your father with the 'Fossil' as you called it?** ' Knight asked, as I returned the other two back into their Pokéballs.

' **It was one of my earliest wishes to become an Archaeologist like my Father** ' I explained, ' **So I want to honor that dream, even if we are, starting out a journey with a completely different goal in mind** ' I finished, scratching the side of his head.

The other Mountaineers and Hikers that Derek had been travelling with were apprehended by Officer Jenny, about a week after the snow storm had abated, and I'd been asked to give my statement (which I did via telephonic conversation)

Unfortunately, their sentence, much to my outrage, was only having to surrender possession of their current findings and ban of two months from their mountaineering/mining jobs.

Dark-types, like I've stated several times before, were still very much misunderstood, but what I didn't realize was that the prejudices against them extended to even some members in the League!

'It's not use getting riled up…' I sighed, letting my thoughts wander over to the fossil currently in my backpack, back in my room at the Center.

" **I see, and what about your Lisa? Are you certain she is unwilling to accompany us?** ' came Knight's next inquiry.

I let out a sign, not bothering to correct him ' **She's got her own dreams, obligations to fulfill if you will, and asking her to prioritize me over them is something I will** _**not**_ **do** ' I firmly stated.

' **Why... must you humans be so difficult?** ' he let out an exasperated growl, but remained otherwise silent, as we walked through the Center's doors. Only to immediately jump out of the way of a barreling Iggy " **You won't have at me that eas–** " Knight started, only to snarl when the little pink Pokémon rebounded off the doors and landed atop his back.

I chuckled a little at the rodeo enactment they had going on, but quickly put a stop to it when I noted the not so amused (borderline hostile and fear-ridden) glance a couple of hikers were giving them, or rather Knight in particular.

Two of them had even reached for their Pokéballs, '... bunch of ignorant fools' paying them no heed I grabbed hold of the offending fluffball and set her on my shoulder, only for her to jump up and snuggle into my hair.

I sighed, but let her be, as it would at least keep Knight from freaking out.

Marylin grinned sheepishly at us from the counter to which I shrugged and, after returning Knight, quickly handed her his Pokéball along with the others "Just a regular checkup…"

She nodded before placing them on a tray which her Chansey who, according to Knight, didn't think very highly of me (the feeling was mutual) then carried towards the healing capsules.

"So you're the kid, eh?" I was on my way back towards my room when one of the hikers called out.

"Excuse me?" I asked, sighing inwardly as I turned toward their table.

"Wait, he's the laddie that got Tom and the others…?" a younger bloke asked, to which the beefy man that had called out to me nodded.

The more experienced hiker grunted "Bit of advice for yeh kid, dump the devil before disaster is brought down upon ya, heck I'd say putting it ou–"

I almost mimicked Knight's growl (and I swear I hear one from Iggy as well) as I cut him off "I'd rather you keep your opinions to yourselves if you will, lest you find yourselves _much_ worse off than your friend Tommy..." and ignoring their reactions I quickly made for my room, thankful that they had paid no heed to the slight flickering of lights around the dining area.

'Looks like I need to work more on controlling myself now…' I'd hardly walked through the doorway, that I was suddenly overwhelmed with the scent of the forest. That, accompanied with the slight humming I heard close to my ear helped calm me down almost instantly.

"Don't strain yourself runt" I grumbled, knowing that Igglybuffs didn't have strong enough vocal cords for prolonged singing, or even humming for that matter.

I gave Iggy a few minutes, before picking her up and quickly feeding her a few of her favorite Pokéblocks (Lisa had given me some in advance) primarily to stop her from hurting herself, but also a treat.

"I've got to say you're getting good at it" I started, petting her slightly as I hid my grin "Wouldn't you agree?" I asked the room at large, only for a huff to sound a little behind me.

"How do you _always_ know?" Lisa grumbled, slender arms wrapping around me from behind as her head came to rest between my shoulder blades, against the base of my neck.

"Because I'm just that awesome?" I grinned as I brought one of her arms up, and kissed the back of her hand gently, my gaze absently wandering to the Poké Gear on her wrist.

Side by side with mine, they looked identical, except for the dash of pink in hers. I pre-ordered it when I'd stopped at Saffron, and had been paying for it with the stipend I received (the amount based on how informative and relevant my reports were) from the Lab, or should I say League?

Yes, I could have used what was left of Derek's money, but it didn't feel right… not for this.

* * *

The Gear arrived a few days ago, after I'd _finally_ paid off the amount in full, and I unceremoniously handed Lisa the parcel during her break on the same day.

There was no excessive thank yous or any over the top reaction on her part. Though she did stare at it for a good minute, before picking it up and asking me to fasten it around her wrist.

Upon activation, my contact was the first she added, follows by Marylin's and then the Center's main line. She then gave me an experimental call, to confirm that it was in working order, after which she simply mutter a soft "Thank you" before heading back to the counter, though I'd say her face was still tinged a slight shade or red.

Oh, did I mention she'd grabbed me by the collar and given me a searing kiss, that literally had me panting, and leaning against a nearby wall before all of this? No? Well, my bad.

* * *

"You _need_ to keep your cool" Lisa's comment brought me out of my musings, "Reacting that way, well it won't earn you any favors" she explained in her 'Nurse Joy' mode.

Another thing to be mentioned; my Aura training had progressed, to the point that I could at times easily tell the extent of a particular emotion people at a close radius around me were experiencing (though I generally tended to keep myself in check, particularly if there were too many people around) but the sheer amount of hate and disgust, those hikers were directing towards Knight… yeah it was lucky that I walked away when I did, 'How is he able to just, ignore all of it?' I wondered for, not for the first time.

I let out a sigh "I get that… but–" I blanched, for a faint glow had suddenly enveloped Iggy (who I still held with my other arm by the way) I stared in wonder as the glow intensified "Li-Lisa!" I suddenly called, though I kept my voice low, as the little Pokémon jumped out of my grasp.

I heard her gasp, she was beside me the very next instant, just as the glow turned blinding. This was happening, I was _legit_ witnessing a Pokémon evolve!

'Knight's _so_ gonna have a fit!' I grinned at the thought, and contrary to what one might think neither Knight nor I could share sight or do anything of the sort, Aura doesn't exactly work that way.

And I for one didn't want to ruin the surprise by telling him telepathically, of course this was in no way my getting payback for the numerous times he'd had a go at me… nope, just genuine consideration and thoughtfulness on my part, like the good Trainer I am.

The glow gradually dimmed down, just as Iggy's outline seemed to expand by a margin, to reveal an all too familiar Pokémon. One that played quite the part, in helping Ash catch his Snorlax, according to the anime.

I don't know who squealed more, Lisa or her newly evolved Jigglypuff "Congratulations…" I gave her a peck on the cheek and mimicked her earlier actions, wrapping my arms around her waist while resting my chin on her shoulder "Good going runt," I told the Fairy-type "try not to give poor Knight a heart attack will ya?"

I didn't think Jigglypuff's could pull off an evil sneer, but _damn_ did Iggy clear that assumption up real fast.

The scent of the forest almost had me nodding off now, but Lisa deftly stopped the newly evolved Pokémon from singing "You've just evolved, not to mention after you helped Rick calm down… so give it a few hours alright?" she said, lovingly patting Iggy, who puffed (pun intended) her cheeks in a pout but reluctantly agreed and returned back into her Pokéball.

"You do realize, that she will also need to learn how to modulate herself, right?" I asked, to which my girlfriend nodded with a sigh "So you're panning in training her along with Azura then?"

She stiffened, "How… you'll just reiterate that you're awesome, won't you?" I simply nuzzled into the crook of her neck in response while she let out huff, pouting much like her Pokémon had previously.

'Damn it, could she _be_ any cuter!?' It had taken everything I had, to hold myself back, to stop with just kisses and hugs and maybe a few feels (hey, curbing the desire of a hormonal teen wasn't exactly an easy feat!)

"Are you all set for tomorrow?" she asked, cutting me out of my musings as she ran a hand gently running through my hair, the other having intertwining with mine at her waist.

"The team's getting a routine check-up" I mumbled, "But yeah, other than that we're ready and raring"

"I see..." her shoulders slumped slightly, but she otherwise didn't react, we stayed like this for a few minutes before she finally turned around in my embrace, her eyes having this... serious look about them.

"Why?" she started "You know that I can just as well finish the reminder of my training time with you on the road right?" her eyes were practically boring into mine at this point.

I nodded, inwardly letting out a sigh.

* * *

Lisa had told me earlier that she had received her practice license almost a year back and that she was currently of gaining experience that would eventually certify her fit to run a Center on her own.

The general method was to become something akin to a pseudo-apprentice to one of the Nurses already running a Center. But there was also the option, they could travel with a designated Trainer and gain experience in the Field.

The Nurse' progress and ability would then be reviewed based on her reports and how well the Trainer's Pokémon were, when checking into a Center. There was also an additional rule imposed that the Trainer in question had to visit a certified Center at least once every fortnight.

While not as common, there were quite a few instances where a Nurse would be designated to a newly named League Champion, especially so if the person in question renounced their claim to the title, and left to travel other regions.

* * *

"So why, haven't you asked me?" at this her voice shook slightly, a small part of here was probably unsure if not afraid, of my reasoning.

"Because you have a prior promise to keep, don't you?" her eyes widened at this, "I heard you and Marylin talking, a few days back, I was returning from a late night training session with Kro" I hastened to explain, at her growing frown "You mentioned something about a promise you made to your mother, I didn't mean to eavesdrop so I continued on towards my room" I finished.

She stared at me long enough that I began feeling awkward, before finally giving me small smile "... noble idiot" and her hand wrapped around my neck and pulled me in for a kiss, which quickly deepened and turned quite heated.

"Lis–" I gasped, but her lips were upon me once one, giving me barely enough time to catch my breath. So much so, that I hardly noticed when she'd pushed me onto the bed, kissing me all the while.

I was light-headed and reduced to a blubbering mess, by the time our lips parted.

It was then, as I was trying to catch my breath, that I noticed a few things… she was basically straddling me, and my arms were pinned under her, which explained why I suddenly wasn't able to move all that much.

"So… tell me," her eyes suddenly had this glint to them, one that had nothing to do with the mirth they previously shone, "do you have any other plans? aside from training and battling, on your journey I mean" I shuddered when she idly ran a hand, that was braced against my chest, towards the base of my neck.

"No-nothing much else, besides helping the Professor with his research… an-and maybe making a few friends–" I suppressed a gulp, as she slowly begun trailing a finger up my neck "A-and rivals! Definitely many of those, along the way" I hastily added, as her well kept nail pressed ever so slightly against my skin.

"I see… having friends, and rivals alike is a good thing, necessary in fact for any Trainer's journey." she agreed, gently tracing the outline of my Adams apple "And here I was, worried that you would isolate and brand yourself a loner…" her finger finally come to rest at the base of my chin, she urged me to look up at her... before leaning in slowly.

Our lips were a hair's width apart, when the door to my room opened with an audible creak, "Giving him the pep talk?" Marylin asked as she walked in, placing the tray with Knight and the others Pokéballs, on the side table.

Her expression remained neutral all the while, completely ignoring the more than compromising position we were in.

"Among other things…" Lisa replied in an equally casual voice, straightening up with an audible sigh.

The past month had seen quite a few changes in the dynamics of our relationship, as you might have inferred. Lisa for one didn't react as much to Marylin's ever constant teasing, well… most of the time anyway (have to admit I was a bit bummed, her embarrassed expression was just so _cute_ ) she'd finally come to terms with… whatever we had going on, and I found to my surprise that she was quite the possessive one at times.

"I'm not done with him just yet, so could you give her a quick check up before you turn in?" at that she handed Iggy's Pokéball to the elder nurse, "Iggy evolved!" she happily explained, at the latter's questioning glance.

"Oh my, how wonderful!" Marylin smiled brightly "I assume his involvement also played a significant part in this?" she asked.

"Um… hello? I'm right her–" I won't deny that I was more than a little embarrassed, if slightly annoyed, by now. A fact which I think was very evident from my expression, which I'm sure only amused them both all the more.

"He most definitely was a catalyst" Lisa explained, "Give me a few minutes, I'll help you close up" she assured, in a clearly dismissive voice.

Marylin's smile widened "Oh, I see how it is, be sure to us~"

"Out!" And out went the elder Nurse, I'd have laughed, but Lisa had immediately turned back towards me "...now, where were we?" not letting me answer, she simply claimed my lips.

And of course, I happily lost myself in the moment.

"Well, I'm glad we cleared that up!" she cheerfully stated a few minutes later, sitting back up and 'releasing' me, so to speak, as she got back to her feet.

"Ye-yeah… so am I" I tried for a smile, doing my best not to ponder upon the underlying message she'd oh, so _subtly_ conveyed.

"I'll bring you your dinner in a bit" she promised, giving me a swift peck on the cheek before walking out of the room, finally giving me enough time to catch my breath, calm down and collect my thoughts.

' **I see you chose not to tell her...** ' queue in a flash of light, as Knight released himself again from his Pokéball ' **Given the nature of your Aura in particular, I would suggest you be upfront about it–** '

' **You know it's not going to be as easy as that…** ' I raked a hand through my hair, ' **Is there no other way!?** '

' **You confirmed it for yourself, after scouring the contraption you received from the hands of that... queer human, did you not?'** I barely cracked a smile at his reference to Professor Oak, letting out a sigh instead.

* * *

My initial interpretation and understanding of Aura was completely unfounded, at least when it came to the Universe I'd been thrust into in any case.

One's Aura was a reflection of their very being, a person's nature is defined by their Aura and vice versa. Through reading their Aura, one can easily learn of another's true nature.

It was essentially the 'life force' that resided within every living being, be they human, Pokémon or even the trees and plants around us... all of them had their own distinct Aura.

Not many were born with the ability to detect Aura. But those few who could, would need to be taught how to use and control it. For if they were to go unchecked, and untrained, the ability to read it would eventually be lost to them.

There wasn't much else about it, and what little I'd managed to find was the fruit of more than a few hours of sifting through the worldnet (their equivalent of the internet) and perusing through digitized versions of old books or records.

It made me realize just how invaluable the 'manual' Arceus had crammed into my head (still could've done without the migraine though) not that I would tell him that.

Knight had also added in, stating that Aura always seeks balance and sometimes, the Auras of two individuals might end up resonating.

Don't get me wrong, your Aura might simply resonate with someone who would later come to be a good friend or at least a comrade with whom you share similar views or ideals (you know, the ones where you wonder 'How did I ever end up befriending this person?!' or 'How are they such a good team?!')

But yes, I concur that it does also occur between potential partners. And depending upon the progress in their relationship, it could even get to the point where the mere presence or absence of one, would affect the other... sound familiar?

Now, why was I giving a history lesson in Aura you ask? Well I'm sure you'd have guessed, but the individuals trained in the ways of Aura were called Aura Guardians, the most renowned among them being Sir Aaron (I'd long ago put Rota down as one of the places I definitely wanted to visit)

See Aura Guardians, from the scarce amount of data I'd been able to find, seemed to have a few things in common… one: their Aura was more dense and greater in amount than the usual norm, not that it meant that they had longer lifespans (think of the phrase 'full of life' and you might get what I mean)

And two: Aura Guardians in general lead solitary lives, roaming the lands and generally keeping to themselves. This was both because it would have them acting faster if something were amiss, but was also to prevent themselves from getting too attached to a particular place or person.

It was only after they attained enough mastery that they ventured back into civilization, though not many choose to do so, having gotten used to a life of travel. Sometimes an Aura Guardian would take in an apprentice, if they came across someone that showed promise and had the innate ability to wield it.

What brought all of this up? Well, having more than the average amount of Aura could sometimes result in situations that... let's just say things could turn messy _real_ fast.

Again, I have to take Sir Aaron's example, for the simple reason that there was a lot more information to go on, comparatively at least.

It's easy to infer from just the movie, that there was something going on between him and the Queen.

Where was I going with this? Well, remember the Aaron look alike, Riley? The one on Iron island in Sinnoh? Well he most probably was a descendant, and by the looks of it, one that didn't seem to have any ties with the Rota's Royal family.

And no, this is _not_ me implying that Sir Aaron was a philanderer or anything of the sort! The guy was downright noble to the core.

No, what most probably happened was that the Queen, and whomever else he was with, reached an accord of sorts and voiced their consent.

In almost all other records, from the meager amount there were about them, they (the few recorded instances were all on male Guardians, talk about sexist) usually had more than one partner. I had no idea if it was the same case otherwise (unlikely, considering it was a largely patriarchal society at those times)

Which brings me to what I've been beating myself up about all this time...

Lisa was the first ever person I met after coming to this world, she was kinda like my tether here, both figuratively and literally, seeing as the Center was my chosen reserve for the Pokémon.

She'd helped me understand, and come to terms with the world I was in, as opposed to the one I'd seen in the anime.

All that and more, yet I... would not do right by her. "An inevitability" that was what Knight had told- no, _warned -_ me about.

Yeah, not if I can help it.

* * *

I glared at the room's ceiling, hoping it would somehow shed light on my... situation? Predicament?

But regardless, aside from noting that the ceiling was a different shade of white than the walls, I learnt of nothing else.

' **You look like you consumed an entire helping of the elder Healer's cooking** ' came Knight's comment.

' **Realllly could have done without the reminder buddy** ' I shuddered, having experienced first hand why Lisa, aside from being the excellent cook she was, did most of the cooking in the Center.

I kid you not when I say, that if it had been anyone else at the time, Knight and the others would have gone full on ballistic when I inadvertently fell unconscious, owing to the… _unique_ taste and texture of Marylin's famous berry shortcakes (please refuse, _firmly_ if she ever offers you one)

We both turned towards the door just as it opened, to reveal Lisa holding a tray, with a grinning Iggy on. Her. Shoulder… uh, oh.

Something else I learnt that day, even an Absol could squeak like a Rattatta, if given the right insensitive.

I'd been sworn into secrecy unfortunately, but safe to say, it was an instance that would be remembered for a _long_ time coming.

* * *

 **And there you have it...**

 **This one took a lot more out of me to finish, y** **ou wouldn't believe how many rewrites it's gone through.**

 **A big shout-out to CircusControl, it would've taken me who knows _how_ much longer to publish this if otherwise. He's publishing a semi-SI fic of his own named Avidity, go give it a read, you won't be disappointed. Thanks again, bud!**

 **A** **s always, reviews and** **constructive criticism are appreciated, though any and all flames will be ig** **nored.**

 **Until next time...**

 **BerserkSpectre out**


	6. Chapter Six

**Thanks for all the favs, follows and reviews!**

'Normal thought'

' **Thought speech** '

"Normal speech"

" **Poké speech** "

 **Attack**

 _ **Emphasis** /Emphasis_

 **DISCLAIMER: I own nothing of Pokémon, just my OC(s) and some plot twists**

* * *

' **So where are we bound towards exactly? You mentioned there were a few of those 'Gym Leaders' nearby, but never whom in particular** ' my clearly disgruntled partner asked, as I ran a brush against his fur. A sort of apology on my part, and also since he steadfastly refused to allow anyone else touch him.

He'd given the various grooming shops we'd come across in Saffron a look of such contempt, that I skipped exploring the entire block altogether...

I mused over my answer for a moment, I'd already come to a decision but it never hurt to be sure.

It had to be either Blackthorn, Mahogany or Ekruteak, they were by far the closest ones and frankly, a part of me wanted to stray away from the hard and fast Gym routes established by the games (the League had put it down as their 'recommended' route)

Yeah, no way was I waiting until I made it all the way to Azlea and we most _definitely_ weren't ready for Blackthorn and I didn't have a working plan yet to counter the Mahogany Gym, so given the options I had, the choice was pretty obvious. Plus, I also had a personal agenda at Ekruteak as well...

I told Knight as such and he gave me a savage grin ' **So we begin our conquest by overcoming a Spirit Master's trail… how fitting** '

I grinned sheepishly at his interpretation of the Gym battle ' **Well, that's not what we're exac–** ' I tried to clarify.

' **Are we not entering his domain, to lay claim on his symbol of power?** ' he interjected.

' **In a way, yes...'** I struggled to find the words to explain the purpose of Gym badges and the League as a whole ' **But you see–** '

' **And after passing seven such other trials, we are to then overcome others like us, yes?** ' I suppressed a sigh as I nodded yet again, he wasn't wrong ' **Only thereafter, upon proving ourselves worthy, will we move to challenge the "Champion" and his four guards, for his throne… am I correct?** '

I sighed in defeat, ' **Sure, that's one way of looking at it, yeah** ' I relented, he'd gotten the gist of it and I gotta admit, his version sounded better 'The Throne of a Champion… heh, would make quite the cliched book title'

According to Knight, the grin I'd sported at the time was not unlike a Gengar's, that was all set to prank the living daylights out of some poor unsuspecting soul (human or Pokémon alike)

Lance had been the dual Champion of both Kanto and Johto for the greater part of seven years at this point, the rest of the elite four having also taken up their respective dual roles.

Chronologically, I'd say it was quite a few years before the second game (I was pretty sure I wasn't _purely_ in that Universe per se, but it did serve as a good timeline reference)

The Psychic Trainer Will had just been enlisted. He'd won the previous Silver Conference two years ago and, after a break of almost a year, had challenged and beaten all except Agatha and Lance.

His skill and potential had entitled him a spot in the Elite Four, albeit the lowest one, and finally allowed Lance to take up the mantle of Champion (as far as Johto was concerned at least)

Will, unlike his other co-elites, had no affiliation with the Kanto League, and since there were no viable candidates thus far (though rumors suggest the Viridian and Celadon Gym Leaders were the most likely candidates) they were currently just the four, though Lance was still widely considered the Champion.

'...for now' I finished, as I packed the brush I'd been using to groom Knight, into one of the many storage compartments my new bag (courtesy of Marylin, and one Lisa) Knight yawned, reminding me again that he had quite a few pointy teeth, not to mention his _breath_.

Unlike Vulcan or Kro, he still preferred to hunt over eating the food supplements the Center provided us with, though I'd managed to convince him against hunting when we approached any sort of human settlement (didn't want him accidentally hunting an owned Pokémon!)

Knight had been very accommodating (his words not mine) going so far as to 'restricting' himself to just a few Magikarp and the occasional Rattatta, for the past few weeks ' **It is the thrill of the hunt, that I cannot go without, my prey comes secondary** ' he explained.

He'd already curled up on the rug beside the bed by the time I'd finished packing, double checking to ensure that I hadn't forgotten anything.

"It'll be awhile until I get to experience the comfort of a bed, might as well hit the hay…" I stifled a yawn, quickly changing into a pair of shorts before turning in.

It was a little later I think, that I hear Knight let out a low growl in annoyance and I felt something warm brush against my forehead, accompanied by a weight settling next to me a little later.

I instinctively wrapped my arms around the person in question and, after a muttered "G'night" buried my head in their hair, letting the familiar scent of lilac send me adrift once more.

* * *

" **Blitz Wing** but dial it down, just enough to knock it out" almost instantly the opposing Machap was some flying into a nearby tree trunk (Kro having rammed it with a combination of **Wing** and **Quick Attack** )

"Talk about being _cheap_ …" the guy we were facing began grumbling "Going for the type advan–"

"Good match, be seeing you" I cut in as I made my way back to the path I'd initially been taking, Kro following behind me in the air.

' **... Not fun'** he commented just as my Dex vibrated slightly, most probably with the notification of my victory and subsequent winnings (around 120 units, given my current Trainer level)

"Two more matches and we're done for now, so bear with it a little more guys" I told them all at large.

' **Why must you participate in these, frankly… pointless battles?'** Knight asked, from his Pokéball while Vulcan simply yawned, how he managed to convey that via an empathy link I don't know, but he did.

"We need to participate in a given number of matches every week… so I can deactivate my location prompt on the battle network" I explained, only to get a pointed look from Kro in return.

" **...** "

"It's basically so that other Trainers won't keep springing up on us… well, at least not as often" I explained.

' **... I see, then let us hasten to do so. I take it this is why we have toned down the duration and extent of our training exercises?'** My very astute partner deduced.

"Yup... " I agreed, "I figured, until we gain a level at least, that we best steamroll through our battles during the initial days of the week and concentrate solely on training until the weekend"

* * *

All Leagues welcomed capable Trainers and one simple method they employed to ensure their numbers, was to motivate aspirants to get into battles, as frequently as possible. Each win would earn them a standardized amount of units, or in some cases, an item of equivalent value.

A leveling system was also introduced, primarily to ensure fairness (basically to prevent an experienced trainer from simply preying upon newbies, for the chance of getting an easy win) by grouping the Trainers into five classes or levels.

Newbies generally came under the category of Amateur, followed by Advanced, Intermediate, Experienced (or Ace) and finally the Elite. Each class was further divided into three stages in turn, denoted by their respective numbers.

A set number of experience points was required for one to advance through each of the stages, and subsequently, classes.

Registered battles between trainers whose levels differed by two or more, wasn't allowed (exhibition or casual battles were okay though) and in most cases, was a punishable act.

Furthermore, the amount of experience points and the number of units, earned from winning a battle would also change depending upon the level disparity between the trainers.

There were additional perks to climbing up the ladder, so to speak, as well. Each successive level came with a few 'rewards' be it in the form of a discount coupon that could be used in the Poké Mart or in some cases, manuals and notes on certain species of Pokémon that would otherwise be hard to obtain (how to go about learning a particular attack or trainer tips on how best to deal with certain Pokémon types)

Also, upon the issue of a TL, the League claimed the right to install an additional feature called the Trainer Battle Network, or simply the Battle Network which kept track of your points and levels, the latter of which could be updated on one's TL.

The app was generally uploaded to a Poké Gear, as unlike the anime would have you believe a Pokédex wasn't exactly easy to come by (only a select few were distributed by the regional Professors, again their numbers decreed by the League) and was basically active throughout the day.

So if two Trainers were within a set range, they would automatically be notified, after which it was up to them if they wanted to battle it out, which more often than not was the usual outcome.

Ever wonder why each Route in the games had more than a few Trainer battles? Well now you know.

So, coming back to the battlenet, it was programmed to automatically deactivate for a time if the Trainer participated in a set number of battles… it didn't matter if they lost or won.

Now you see what was going on about?

* * *

"And that… is the last of Trainer battles we'll technically _have_ to participate in, this week!" I happily told Vulcan, while glancing at the notification on my Gear, which was linked to my Dex, stating that the TBN (Trainer Battle Network) would be deactivated until next Monday.

' **... Train?** ' Kro asked, while Vulcan simply walked to a nearby rock and began practicing his **Dragon Pulse** , a move he'd gotten down quite recently. I wanted him to get used to manipulating the draconic energy in preparation for learning attacks such as **Dragon Claw** and **Dragon Tail**.

I grinned "Yeah, now we train…" I agreed, the clearing we were currently in, was a good place as any to camp out until tomorrow.

You might wonder, what we'd been doing for the part month well two words: strength training, more so I'd say, in Vulcan and Kro's case since they needed to get used to their new form. The two of them, having evolved prematurely, weren't as adept with their movements or in manifesting their attacks so we worked to rectify that first.

Once the basics were covered, at least until a point, we then went about further strengthening particular parts like fangs, claws, tails and in Kro's case and possibly Vulcan's later on, wings.

In addition to this, each of them had individual aspects that needed to be focused on as well… for Vulcan it was his stamina, Kro worked on his speed and perhaps most importantly, Knight with his endurance. He would never be a tank, but I wanted him at least be able to weather through a few hits.

The training regime I'd set up for the team was twofold, first and foremost focusing on building up strength, speed and endurance with each of them additionally working on mastering new moves.

Knight was currently working on **Dark Pulse** having mastered **Night Slash** a little while back. I'd asked Kro to start on **Bite** and later **Shadow Ball** , in preparation for the upcoming Gym battle.

And I hadn't exactly let time go by idly, either…

After finishing my own workout (the one Derek had been keeping up with, with a few additions) I would then spend the next few hours training my Aura.

I like to think that I've made a bit of progress in the very least, my control had improved some, which thereby made my senses all the more sharper.

Now let me clarify something, a human being can _not_ hope to emulate an **Aura Sphere** or any other form of Pokémon attack, just because he or she happens to be able to control their Aura.

It just doesn't work that way, we are more aware of ourselves, and were thus more in tune with the world around us… that's the gist of it.

I sat down at the base of a nearby tree and slowly entered let my awareness spread, entering a sort of meditative state (I don't know what else to call it)

There was a stream nearby, I could tell since I was able to 'hear' the water and a little further on wa–

My eyes snapped open just as Knight and the other turned towards the deeper parts of the forest, leading away from the clearing.

We were moving in a matter of seconds, with Knight taking the lead and Kro flying overhead.

I'm pretty sure we startled many a Rattata and the occasional Oddish, but unfortunately we didn't have much choice "There!" I could see a few Pidgey and Pidgeotto circling ahead, just then I saw one abruptly dive down "Kro! Intercept it!"

And Kro met the Pidgeotto mid-dive, with a **Wing Attack** (though a part of me noted that the glow seemed different) thereby forcing the avian to dodge.

We were already by the bank of the river by now "Scare them off before they can retaliate, but don't hit them!" I yelled, just as I spotted the mud-caked form of what looked like a Zigzagoon of all things.

Knight fired a Shadow Ball, forcing them to disperse while Vulcan fired a few Flamethrowers in rapid succession, at each one, effectively chasing them away… well, for the moment at least.

"Easy..." I warned, as Kro went to pick up the normal-type. But it looked like the little thing had indeed passed out, most likely from exhaustion rather than anything else.

' **She does not look to be suffering from any major injury** ' Knight mentioned, as Kro brought her towards us ' **Maybe a few cuts and scrapes, but nothing else** '

"We'd better get back to camp and head to the nearest Center just to be sure" I stated, wondering what a non-native Pokémon was doing way out here.

By pure chance, there was a Center nearby, the bloke we'd battled a few hours before had been kind enough to even give us directions.

It didn't take us long to pack up, though I did take a moment to administer some first aid (every Trainer was required to have at least some basic knowledge when in Pokémon care) after which we quickly made haste.

I'd returned both Knight and Vulcan, the former because he would draw us a lot of unwanted attention, while the latter would not be able to help himself in the off chance someone actually challenged us to a battle.

Instead, I opted to hold the Zigzagoon in my arms while Kro flew on ahead, acting as a guide of sorts.

I think we gave the resident Nurse Joy quite the startle with our entrance, but upon catching sight of the injured Pokémon in my arms she acted without a moment's notice, pausing only to register my name.

' **... now?** ' Kro asked, as I walked to a nearby sofa and flopped onto it.

' **Now we wait… nothing much else we can do** ' I explained, trying to wipe off the mud that had gotten on my clothes, before giving up. 'I'll have to run them through a washer...' I mused, glancing at the time on my Gear and then at the nearby vending machine (which had Pokémon food as well) I shrugged.

'Might as well get something to eat, we all could use some food' I reasoned 'Probably a good idea to get the pack a routine check-up, as well'

* * *

"Wait, what now?" I barely kept myself from going slack jawed as Nurse Joy, along with her pink-blob that still haunted my nightmares, wheeled a trolley upon which the previously injured Zigzagoon slumbered.

It'd been a greater part of an hour, in the course of which I had major déjà vu, having to explain myself to more than suspicious Nurse, once more.

Now all that aside, you're probably wondering what entailed such a reaction out of me well, to put it simply, she was a shiny… something I'd failed to notice before, though to be fair she'd been covered in mud and I was a bit preoccupied trying to get her here.

'At least there aren't that many people here today' I mentally sighed in relief "So she's gonna be okay then?" I asked.

"She'll need a few more hours of rest, and preferably a decent meal once she's awake…" Nurse Joy explained, her eyes narrowing into a slight frown "Her injuries weren't severe, but given how exhausted her body was and the circumstances you found her in, well… " and she left the sentence hanging, her expression grim "Regardless, I expect her to make a full recovery, but she's clearly been through quite the ordeal" she finished.

"I'm just glad I was able to get to her in time" I said while I walked up to the little raccoon, and gingerly ran a hand against her fur before trying to pick her up.

"Be careful!" Nurse Joy warned in a low tone "She doesn't seem to like humans, I had to have Chansey put her to sleep, since she kept trying t–" her eyes widened when the said Pokémon unconsciously let out a purr of sorts, and snuggled into my arms.

"Well I'll be…" her expression seemed to soften at the peaceful look the Pokémon in question sported "I guess maybe on some level, she recognizes that you were the one that helped save her"

"Maybe…" I agreed, it had been Knight's idea actually, he'd suggested that I try calming her with my Aura.

"... has there been any incident involving Poachers, near or around here?" I asked, call it an impulse, but something about her reaction to all of this seemed… off.

She gave me a look, before sighing tiredly, "That's quite perceptive of you... I can't give you the details, but I can tell you that a Poaching ring was busted recently, it'll probably be on the news sometime soon"

"I see…" I frowned, upon recalling something Lisa had mentioned a few weeks prior. Pokémon like Zigzagoon, Linoone and a few others, were quite sought after because of their innate ability to forage for valuables. Which is why they were greatly sought after, by treasure hunters, miners, archaeologists and the like.

Contrary to what one might think, paying someone to 'procure' said Pokémon was the cheaper option for most people, especially given that the other alternative was having to travel to another region entirely... I grit my teeth at the thought.

"I guess that explains how a non-native Pokémon ended up here" I agreed, taking in a deep breath to calm myself "So what now? What happens to her?"

"Well that depends… do you want to capture her? If not, I will notify the League and she would probably be relocated back to the Hoenn Region" she explained.

"I see…" I noted her tone and the use of the word 'probably' and inwardly scoffed 'No way I'm leaving her to the League' I decided then and there, that if she wanted to go back, I would take it up with the Professor instead "Well, that's up to her in the end..."

I almost laughed at the Nurse's expression, "What?"

"You do realize that the Pokémon in your hands is a–" she started.

"Variant? Yeah I've heard about them, and speaking of variants..." I suddenly remembered something that I'd been meaning to bring up "I've rarely heard of instances where Pidgey, ore even Pidgeotto for that matter, behaved so aggressively…" I started, "Is that normal?" if this kind of aggression was from say, a Fearow, Spearow or heck even from a Murcrow I wouldn't have been surprised "I understand that there might be topographical factors involved, bu-"

"To an extent yes, but it's also because of Trainers, such are yourself, as well" I could hear the slight bite in Nurse Joy's tone as she answered, but chose to not comment on it "The Pokémon around here are naturally tougher, having braved through harsher climates and what not…" she continued "Now, add to the fact that, more than a few Trainers stop by here to work with their teams, before heading to the Blackthorn Gym in the hopes of defeating Clair and you get–"

"A bunch of battle hardened and territorial, not to mention easily provoked, wild Pokémon" I finished with a sigh, as her expression suddenly turned into one of embarrassment, given her rant.

"It's alright, I understand where you're coming from" I started before she could say anything else "Are Knight and the others done with their checkups as well?" I continued.

She gave me an pointed look, before finally nodding "Chansey will have them out shortly, will you be needing a room?"

"No, I think Zigzagoon would find it more comfortable if we camped out... though I did take the liberty of using the washer-dryer, I'll only be a few more minutes though" I assured.

Every Center had a laundry room of sorts, that was primarily for a Trainer's use.

I'd bought a few extra pairs of clothes of course, one of which I'd changed into but seeing as I didn't want to deal with an unnecessary hassle later on, I chose to make use of the facility anyway.

"By all means" she gave me one of those 'professional' smiles, just as her Chansey wheeled out a trolley carrying three silver Pokéballs.

"Perfect timing…" I grinned just as the timer on my Gear went off "Thank you for everything Nurse Joy!" I gave her a grin as I grabbed the three Premiere balls, careful no to jostle the sleeping Pokemon, before heading back to the laundry room.

It was only after I stepped out of the Center that I realized something, I'd simply seen her as Nurse Joy. I hadn't even associated her with Lisa, or even Marylin. Irrespective of the fact that they looked almost identical, and had similar manners... in my eyes, she might as well have been a completely different person.

'Now to find a place to set up camp, again...'

* * *

I woke up a little before dawn, and quickly cast my eyes around the campsite.

I let out a sigh, Kro and the Zigzagoon was nowhere to be seen "Well I suppose I'd better ask the Profess–"

' **That will not be necessary…** ' Knight cut in, getting to his feet in a stretch.

"Wha-" I started to ask, just as a nearby bush rustled just then and said Pokemon happily trotted into the clearing we were currently in. I could tell that Kro had been following her, even while he was still hidden from view.

'Might as well let him get in a good nap' I reasoned, seeing as Vulcan was still pretty much out of it.

"I see your feeling better…" I ginned, as the little normal-type all but bounded up to and jumped into my arms "And just what prompted you to take such an early swim?" I asked mock sternly, noting the slightly dampened state of her fur.

Zigzagoon's reply was to simply cover my face with licks.

' **Went back to river...** ' came Kro's explanation, after I finally managed to calm the excitable raccoon down some, by offering her a few of the Oran berries we'd picked up along the way.

'What?!' I asked, eyes widening at the thought of her and Kro facing a flock of angry Pidgeotto ' **Why would she-** '

' **There was something this one wanted to retrieve** ' Knight mentioned, ' **I had to let her leave, she would not agree to joining us otherwise…** ' he then turned to the raccoon, " **Show him, I will explain the rest** "

Zigzagoon let out a yap, before rushing to a nearby bush and emerging seconds later with what looked like a crystal of some sort, held in her mouth.

I crouched down as she walked towards me and placed the crystal on my outstretched hand, my eyes immediately widened.

"Thi-this is… !" I was at a loss for words.

' **She picked it up after inadvertently ending up at their nesting site, while on the search for food** ' Knight started.

I glanced at the crystal in my hand, ' **Is this why they were chasing her?** ' I asked.

' **No, they assumed she had stolen some of their food** ' Knight explained, ' **The stone was taken merely because of its luster, and later hidden by the Riverside where we found her as a form of retribution...** '

'A fighter till the end, huh?' I glanced at the waiting normal-type and grinned, "Hang in a moment" I quickly walked to my backpack and retrieved a silver Pokéball, rousing a certain grouchy fire-type in the process, before walking back to them.

Crouching back again, I started "We would welcome you into our pack without needing any form of compensation… but that's not something that would sit right with you huh?"

All Pokémon were prideful creatures, much like us humans, a fact that was made all the more clear when I received an angry growl in response.

"I understand" I assured, gingerly wrapping the stone with a fresh handkerchief, and placing it into a free storage compartment "It won't be an easy road, and there will be more than a few hard battles…" I warned, only for her to let out a defiant yap.

"Very well then, if you're sure" as Vulcan walked up beside me and Kro landed on my other side, "Welcome to the pack…" I finished, with the others welcoming her in turn.

I grinned, priming the Pokéball just as the raccoon-like Pokémon let out a happy bark in response, only for my eyes to widen when her form began to glow, and change.

"Well... she certainly likes her surprises" I immediately changed my plans, deciding to camp out here for a few more days, just as the glow around her ceased.

Said Pokémon's light brown, almost amber, eyes met my own. Her unique coloration made all the more evident upon evolution.

I simply remained silent, mentally asking the pack to do so as we, while waiting for her to react.

Her gaze kept with mine for a few moments, before falling to the silver contraption in my hand…

Her whole attitude did a total total one-eighty in a matter of seconds, as the Pokéball was practically snatched away.

* * *

I let out a sigh a few minutes later, as I watched Linoone act like a cat, with a ball of yarn… even Knight was rendered speechless.

"Uh..."

" **...** "

And we collectively deadpanned when, with a click and a flash of light, a silent Pokéball lay in front of us.

" **... food?** " Kro asked, breaking us out of our stupor while Vulcan simply let out a yawn.

I don't know what exactly set me off, but I hadn't had a good laugh like that in a _long_ while. I glanced at the Pokéball still in my hand, and quickly slotted it into the Dex.

My grin widened as I recalled another marsupial, similarly fictitious back in my old world, with a penchant for all things shiny.

"We'll be sure to give the world a surprise they won't forget… eh, Niffy?"

* * *

 **POKÉDEX LOG:-**

* * *

 **Linoone (Niffy)**

 **Gender:** Female

 **Attacks:** Tackle, Slash, Swift, Baby-doll Eyes, Pin Missile, Take Down

 **Egg move:** Extreme Speed (NL)

* * *

 **Yes, the Spectre** **lives!**

 **After quite a bit of musing I decided that the entire fic could do with a revamp and cleaning up.**

 **No, this is not me saying I will now be re-writing the chapters, because it's already been done!**

 **I've also decided to rename 'The Traveller' to 'A tale of Outcasts and Misfits' purely based on personal preference.**

 **A** **s always, reviews and** **constructive criticism are appreciated, though any and all flames will be ig** **nored.**

 **Until next time...**

 **BerserkSpectre out**


End file.
